Thought Police
by EchoInTheSilence
Summary: When two FBI agents disappear in the middle of New York City, it becomes clear that a dangerous enemy is out for revenge. As lives hang in the balance, it will take the best minds in law enforcement to find the missing agents in time. [Three-way crossover with Numb3rs and The Mentalist.]
1. Long-Distance Call

**Thought Police**

 **Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, it's not mine. This story is on an AU track.

 **This story is rated T for violence and a few references to sexual assault. Don't like it, don't read it.**

 **This story is a sequel to my stories** ** _Eyes Wide Open_** **and** ** _Little Girl Lost_** **, which in turn are both sequels to other stories. You don't need to have read the earlier stories to understand this one, but I really recommend reading the entire series in order for context.**

 **Chapter 1: Long-Distance Call**

Some small part of Alex, some part buried deep down, realized how fruitless her pursuit was likely to be, but she simply couldn't stop. She had to do _something_ , and right now, this was the only something she could do. Ever since the terrifying call she'd received two days earlier, since Mike Logan had told her that Carolyn Barek had never made it home, she'd been in near-constant action. Following the brushoffs she'd gotten from both local and federal authorities, she'd sat down with Carolyn's contact list, dialing number after number in hopes that someone might listen.

She glanced over at the next number on the list, punching it into the phone, holding her breath as it rang. One, two, three times...then an annoyed-sounding voice. " _Eppes._ "

"Mr. Eppes? My name is Alex Eames. We've never met -"

" _You don't say_ ," he replied sarcastically. " _Do you have any idea what time it is?_ "

Alex glanced over at her clock."It's after eight-thirty." Now _she_ was annoyed.

There was a momentary pause. " _Eight-thirty? Where the hell are you?_ "

"What?" She glanced back at the phone display, only then noticing the unfamiliar area code that she had punched in on autopilot. "New York," she said more gently. "Where are you?"

" _LA, where it's currently five-thirty in the morning_ ," he groused.

"Damn," she hissed. "I am so sorry. I wasn't thinking about the time zone issue. I can call back in a few hours..."

" _Wait_ ," he said, his annoyance now tinged with amusement. " _If you're going to wake me up at this hour, you might at least tell me what it's about._ "

"Carolyn Barek." She almost whispered her partner's name. "You know her?"

" _Yeah, I know Agent Barek_." Now he sounded concerned. " _Has something happened?_ "

"She's missing," Alex said bluntly, "and I can't get local authorities to do anything about it."

" _What?_ " All trace of irritation was gone from his voice now. " _How long?_ "

"Thirty-eight hours, give or take. I watched her get in her car, but she never made it home."

There was a brief pause. " _What can I do?_ "

"I - I don't know," she admitted. It was the first time she'd gotten that far. "I guess I'm kind of grasping at straws here. I just - I don't believe there's a benign explanation here, but no one will take it seriously. The local PD is insisting on treating it like a missing woman case, not a missing agent. My supervisor says to give it a few days and see if she turns up."

" _Let me make some calls_ ," he said after a moment. " _I know a lot of people who know a lot of people. Maybe I can get someone to take some kind of action. What's her assignment?_ "

"Joint Terrorism Task Force, New York office," Alex said, feeling like she was letting out a breath she'd been holding for a day and a half.

" _And can you remind me of your name? I'm afraid I was kind of...not awake when you told me._ "

She chuckled a bit. "Alex Eames. Lieutenant Alex Eames. I'm Carolyn's partner."

" _Lucky you_ ," he said lightly, a smile evident in his voice. " _I'll be in touch, Lieutenant. I promise._ "

Alex was smiling slightly as she hung up the phone, but she couldn't keep it up for long. Carolyn's empty desk seemed to stare over at her. She was grateful beyond words for the man's help, but it still didn't answer the fundamental question. _What the hell happened to Carolyn?_

 ** **And it's the start of a new adventure! I've listed this as a Law and Order:CI story but it's actually something of a three-way crossover with**** ** _ **Numb3rs**_** ** **(those who know the series will recognize that the agent on the other end of Alex's phone call is a**** ** _ **Numb3rs**_** ** **character)**** ** **and**** ** _ **The Mentalist**_** ** **. CI is the "primary" universe if you will, and I'll do my best to explain the characters from the other two universes, but it's not straight CI. It's going to be a fun ride, so stick around.****

 ** **Please review!****


	2. No Coincidence

**Thought Police**

 **Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, it's not mine. This story is on an AU track.

 **Chapter 2: No Coincidence  
**

It was difficult to distinguish "unusually serious" from their boss' normal stoicism, but one look at her husband confirmed to Agent Teresa Lisbon that her instincts were right on track. If anyone could tell the difference, it was Patrick Jane, and the serious expression on the consultant's face made it clear that he was picking up on something from Cho. The team rookie, meanwhile, was looking anxiously back and forth, clearly waiting for something to happen. Teresa smiled to herself. _Oh, to be young and excitable._

Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long. Their boss stepped into the office, pulled the door shut, and turned to face his assembled team. "I'll get right to it. We've got a missing agent."

"And good morning to you too, Cho," Jane said lightly.

"Agent John McNeil." The Asian man continued as though he hadn't even heard his consultant speak, tacking an FBI personnel photo to the board at the front of the room. "He was visiting his sister's family in New York. Went out to do some sightseeing and that was the last time anyone saw him. He no-showed on his reservation for a tour bus."

"I take it that means we're headed to New York?" That was Wylie, now sitting completely still and focused on the picture.

"Flight leaves in four hours," Cho replied by way of confirmation. "In the meantime, we'll run down all the background we can. Let's get to it."

xxxxxxxxx

"Morning, Boss."

Don furrowed his brow slightly at his junior agent's cheerful greeting. "Okay, Bentencourt, what did you do now?"

She chuckled. "Come on, Boss. I've been here over six years, and you're still so suspicious."

"Damn straight, I'm suspicious," he teased. "Like you said, I've known you for six years."

"You walked right into that one," another voice piped up from the next cubicle, and they both turned to see Colby Granger grinning behind them as he sipped from a cup of coffee.

The young woman looked behind Colby, seeking out the fourth member of the team, who responded by laughing and shaking her head. "You're on your own there, Nikki."

Her lips pulled in a mock pout. "Aw, Warner. I thought us girls were supposed to stick together."

Liz Warner only laughed, turning back to her desk, frowning at something she saw on her screen. "Hey, Don. Didn't you work with John McNeil a couple of years ago?"

"McNeil?" He turned to face Liz. "Yeah, special assignment a couple of years ago. I think he went to Austin when the assignment was finished. Why?"

"According to this, he's been reported missing."

"What? When?"

"Reported last night; last seen yesterday morning." Liz studied him closely, noticing the concern in his face. "Why, what's wrong?"

"I got a call early yesterday morning." He ran a hand slowly through his dark hair. "Another member of that same team went missing three days ago, this time in New York."

"New York?" Colby replied, startled, as he peered over Liz's shoulder. "This says that McNeil was on vacation in New York when he disappeared."

Don frowned deeply. "Either that's one bizarre coincidence or it's not a coincidence, and I don't need a mathematician to tell me which is more likely. But call Charlie anyway," he added with a smirk in spite of the serious situation. "See if he's up to taking a trip to New York. I know the timing could be better, but I'm going to need him."

"You're going to New York?" Liz repeated a little incredulously. "Just...drop everything and go?"

"If I have to. These people were under my command on that assignment. I was responsible for their safety. So if this is related, and it looks like it is, then I have a responsibility to help sort it out."

A quick series of looks was exchanged between the three, and it was Colby who finally spoke up. "So, when do we leave?"

That brought Don up short. "Uh, we?"

"Well, this sounds an awful lot like a case," he explained with a kind smile. "And if you're on a case, you're going to need the team, aren't you?"

Liz and Nikki were nodding in agreement with their coworker's statement, and Don felt an unexpected rush of emotion. Biting down on his inner lip, he spoke quickly to cover the uncharacteristic sentiment. "All right, then, but you'd better be ready to go, I'm not waiting on anyone. Colby, call Charlie, fill him in. Nikki, touch base with Operations, see how quick they can get five seats on a flight to NYC. Liz, pull everything they have on the case so far. I'm going to touch base with my contact."

A chorus of "on it" followed him to his desk.

xxxxxxxxx

"We're next up in the rotation already?" Zach asked a little bemusedly. "Major Case must be busy; we just closed our last case last night."

"Well," Captain Hannah admitted, "it's not exactly your turn, but this case requires a top-level security clearance, and you're the only pair in this office who both have it." He laid the file on his desk. "An FBI agent has turned up missing."

"FBI agent?" Serena repeated. "Isn't that usually the Feds' jurisdiction?"

"Higher-ups made the call," the Captain replied, "and ours is not to question why. Although, that does bring me to one more point. Our missing agent hails from the Austin office, and they're sending up a team to work with us on this. Which is another reason it's good it's the two of you," he added. "The last thing anyone wants is a jurisdictional fight."

"Of course," Zach replied immediately. "When are they due in?"

"I talked to the lead agent just before they boarded their plane," Hannah replied. "Their departure was on time, so they should be landing at Kennedy in about an hour. Meanwhile," he handed the file to his detectives, "you two know what to do."

xxxxxxxxx

"And we are _here_!" Patrick Jane announced excitedly. "Ah, lovely New York City."

"We're here to _work_ ," Lisbon reminded him as they stepped out of the SUV and onto the front steps of One Police Plaza. "So try to contain your enthusiasm, would you?"

"Can't help it," he replied, turning in a sweeping, exaggerated arc and pulling her into his arms so he could whisper the next part for her ears only. "In the last two months, it's like I'm seeing everything with new eyes. Everything's brighter and more incredible."

She couldn't help but smile at that. Ever since their wedding night, the night she had also told him she was pregnant, it was as though he'd discovered a whole new level of joy, as if the last vestiges of the horrors he'd lived through had finally evaporated, allowing him to fully live his life again after so many years. "I know," she whispered back. "But we have a case. So focus," she concluded as she stepped back from his embrace.

"Are you two coming?" Wylie called over his shoulder.

"Yeah, we're right behind you," Lisbon called back a bit irritably, wrapping her arm around her husband's waist. "Come on," she added to him. "You'll have time to take in the, uh, not-fresh air after we crack this case."

The couple followed Wylie and Cho into an elevator, riding up to the eleventh floor. A tall, sandy-haired man stood in the foyer when the elevator doors opened. "Agent Cho?"

The team leader stepped forward. "That's me."

"I'm Captain Joe Hannah, we spoke on the phone." He shook Cho's hand briskly, but there was a genuine kindness in the gesture all the same. "Right this way. My detectives are already working with the file." He stopped beside a pair of desks that faced each other. One chair was empty, though the desk was covered with papers; a brunette woman sat behind the other, looking up as her Captain approached with the Austin team in tow. "Where's your partner?"

"Right here." Several heads turned towards the source of the new voice; a tall, thin man approached the desks, carrying a cup of coffee in each hand. "Figured we'll be here awhile." He handed one of the cups to the woman.

"Agent Cho," Hannah continued, "this is Detective Zach Nichols and Detective Serena Stevens, they'll be working with you and your agents on this case."

"Agent Lisbon, Agent Wylie." Cho indicated each member of his team as he spoke their name. "And Patrick Jane, he's a consultant with my team." The lead agent's phone chose that moment to chirp in his pocket. "Excuse me." He stepped to the side, putting the device to his ear. "Cho."

"Hey," Wylie asked a little shyly, holding out his laptop bag. "Is there, um, is there somewhere I can set up?"

"Conference room one," the Captain offered. "It's already set up for this case."

"You might want to set up a few more tables." That was Cho, having rejoined the group. "We're not going to be the only agents working on this case. There's a team from LA on their way up here to join the investigation."

 **Bit of a whirlwind, I know, but I'm sure it's a whirlwind for the characters too! The next chapter will get more in-depth, this was really about setting up the different teams' connection to this case and how they all intersect. (Yeah, it's a big cast.)**

 **I actually have no idea who would investigate a missing FBI agent, but Major Case didn't seem completely out of left field, and I wanted to incorporate the Major Case characters into the story as well.**

 **This chapter references the Mentalist episode _White Orchids._**

 **Additional note: apologies to all Mentalist fans, I did in fact misspell Wylie's name throughout this chapter. It's been fixed.  
**

 **Please review!**


	3. Now That's A Coincidence

**Thought Police**

 **Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, it's not mine. This story is on an AU track.

 **Chapter 3: Now That's A Coincidence  
**

"Why is a team from LA coming to New York to work on the case of a missing agent from Austin?" Wylie asked. "You'd think if they wanted more people on it, they'd start with the local office."

"Who knows?" Cho gave a slight shrug. "The call came from Abbott in DC, and he didn't have many details. Something about the lead agent on that team having worked with McNeil a few years ago. Oh, and he says hi."

Jane tilted his head slightly, considering this. "McNeil was a bit of a floater, wasn't he? He worked in multiple offices for years before settling in Austin, and we haven't heard word one from any of them."

"Nor would we expect to," Lisbon added. "Agents move around in the Bureau, it's par for the course. If everyone who's worked with a given agent turned up when something like this happened, we'd be overwhelmed."

"So why does this guy - this entire team - decide to fly all the way across the country to work on this case?"

"Because it's not just one missing agent."

Seven heads turned at once towards the source of this new voice; a short, blonde woman standing a few feet behind the team. Cho eyed the newcomer critically. "And you are?"

"Lieutenant Alex Eames, from the Joint Terrorism Task Force," Zach supplied, a smile splitting his face. "I didn't know you were working this case."

"I wasn't exactly. It goes back to what I just said." She turned to face the entire group. "McNeil isn't the only missing agent. Four days ago, my partner, Agent Carolyn Barek, left work and never made it home."

"What?" Cho's head snapped around to look at her. "Why didn't we hear anything about this?"

"Because the consensus between the local PD and my supervisors is that her disappearance is unlikely to be related to her work," Alex replied bitterly.

"Based on what?" Zach asked.

A frustrated sigh escaped Alex's lips. "Who knows? I would think that when an FBI agent goes missing, the first question most people would ask would be if her work could be connected to her disappearance, but not so with Carolyn. Which brings me to your missing agent."

"McNeil," Lisbon supplied.

"Right. He and Carolyn were on the same special assignment in 2010 - the same special assignment that was led by the lead agent of that LA team, Agent Eppes. We only spoke briefly, but he thinks, and I agree, that this is probably more than a coincidence."

"I'd tend to agree with that assessment," Cho put in. "If we'd known from the start that there was a second agent missing, we would've probably come to the same conclusion." He glanced over to his team and the two NYPD detectives. "Let's hold off on a full briefing until the last team gets here, or we'll just have to do it over anyway. Meanwhile, we'll keep working with what we have, start thinking through preliminary strategy."

xxxxxxxxx

"I'm not interested in having a discussion!" Alex all but shouted into the phone. "The task force is taking over this case, that's just a fact!"

"Lieutenant Eames?" a tentative voice piped up in the momentary quiet.

"I want that file here in two hours, and I don't want to hear any excuses!" Alex slammed her phone down. "Figures. They barely looked at the case when they had full jurisdiction, but now that I'm asking for it, they're getting all territorial."

"I wouldn't worry too much about it," Lisbon said kindly. "I've seen this God only knows how many times before. They'll talk big and get angry, but I've yet to come across an office that actually tried to hold onto the case when push came to shove."

"Lieutenant Eames?" The voice was a bit more insistent now.

"Yes?" She regretted the harsh tone of her voice as soon as the words left her mouth. "Sorry, sorry. It's just been a rough morning. How can I help you?"

"There's an Agent Eppes here to see you."

"Good." _At least_ something _is going right today._ "Send him over here."

The officer nodded and headed back to the front desk, and Alex turned just in time to see the newcomer walk into the room. Even without the announcement, she thought, she almost certainly would have known who this man was. Though he didn't come across as the type of person who felt the need to broadcast his position of power, there was an air of leadership that seemed to surround him.

He stopped in front of Alex's desk, seeming to observe her just as she had him. "Lieutenant Eames?"

She nodded, extending her hand to shake his. "Please, it's Alex. And you must be Agent Eppes."

"Don." He smiled as he shook her hand, before looking around at the people clustered nearby. "Looks like you've got quite a crew assembled here. All these people on our case?"

"These six are." She gestured towards Zach, Serena, and the four from Austin, beckoning them to come over at the same time. "Everyone, this is Agent Eppes, from L.A."

"Don, please." He gave the group a smile. "Never been a big fan of formalities between teams."

Zach's phone chose that moment to ring loudly. He glanced down at the display and grimaced when he saw the number. "Excuse me a second."

Don turned back towards Alex. "Speaking of teams, my own is waiting just downstairs. I just wanted to make sure everything was good to go before I brought them all up here. Mind if I...?"

"Of course not." She gave him a moment to send a quick text before speaking again. "How many of you are there?"

"Five total. Four agents, myself included, and a consultant."

"You know," she said, looking from him to Cho with a small chuckle, "New York _does_ have consultants of our own."

He smiled too. "Not quite like our guy, I bet. You'll see."

A voice floated in from the elevator bay at that moment. "...just saying, it would've fit in the overhead bin. They didn't have to gate-check it."

"It didn't fit in the box," an exasperated female voice replied. "You saw that, you were there."

"Yes," the first voice replied, "I _know_ it didn't fit in the box. But the luggage compartment size of a standard Boeing 757 is such that mathematically..."

"Charlie." That was another male voice, laughing under the words. "One way or the other, it's done. We're off the plane, you got your bag back. Give it a rest."

Four people stepped into the entryway, and Don beckoned them over. "Come on, guys. We're good."

"We've set up the conference room for this case," Serena added to the newcomers. "There should be space in there for everyone."

"Well, almost everyone," one of the women on Don's team commented wryly. "We might need to set up a separate Charlie room." This was directed at another member of her team, a dark-haired man several inches shorter than her.

The man almost looked affronted for a moment, then he shrugged, allowing a smile to cross his face. "Maybe."

Alex smiled too. "Well, let's assemble everyone in there for now to do a quick round of introductions and get everyone up to speed. If we need, um, breakout rooms later, we'll take care of that then."

As the group began moving towards the conference room, Alex heard a rushed set of footfalls behind her and turned to see Zach slipping his phone back into his pocket with a tired and frustrated expression. "Sorry about that," he said in an undertone, clearly speaking mostly to Serena.

"Not your fault," she said back, matching his tone. "We all have those days."

He sighed under his breath. "I'd have a lot less of them if people could actually pay attention to what I say the first time. So," he added at a more normal volume, "what did I miss?"

"Nothing of note. Well, unless you count the fact that Agent Eppes' team walked in having a debate about overhead compartments and carryon luggage sizes."

Zach gave a short laugh. "Really?"

"Oh, yeah," Alex piped up, realizing the heavy part of the conversation was over and it would be okay to interject. "Don was laughing, too. Seemed like he was used to it."

Serena smiled, but Zach was already on to the next thing, something else having caught his attention. "Who's that? The shorter guy with the curly hair?"

"We haven't done introductions yet," Serena replied. "I peg him for the team's consultant, though. He just doesn't read 'FBI Agent' the way the others do. Why?"

He shrugged. "Weird coincidence, I guess. He just reminds me of someone I knew once upon a time."

By this point, they were at the door to the conference room, and Serena gently pushed her partner into a chair. "Come on, Zach. Time to focus on the case now. You can interrogate him on possible connections to people from your past later."

Zach nodded absently, his attention still fixed on the man in question. _Damn, he really looks like - no, it can't be,_ he chided himself silently. _What on Earth would he be doing in New York at all, let alone -_

But that thought was cut off abruptly when the younger man turned to face him. The consultant did an immediate double take, no doubt running through some of the same thoughts Zach had been just moments earlier, but now the detective was sure. _A coincidence all right...but not the one I thought it was._

xxxxxxxxx

"As far as we know," Alex began, "the last person to see or speak to Carolyn - Agent Barek - was me. We left the building together, walked out to the garage. We said a quick goodbye, she got in her car and I got in mine. I saw her car pull out behind me, but we turn different directions out of the garage, so..." she shrugged. "I didn't even realize anything was wrong until Mike, her boyfriend, called me three hours later."

"Seems a little strange that he'd call you that quickly," Jane commented. "Guy dates a cop and gets worried when she's late coming home? Seems to me that's part of the package."

"That was my first thought too," Alex admitted, "especially because Mike is retired NYPD himself, he'd know if anyone would about the unpredictability of things. But what was worrying him was that they had plans and she hadn't gotten in touch to tell him things had changed. According to him, having to reschedule is par for the course, but her just not showing up without so much as a text isn't. And he'd already tried to call her, with no luck. I think by the time he called me, he was just trying to convince himself that she was working late, her text hadn't been delivered, and her phone had died." She shrugged. "It's like I said. He was a cop, a detective, and he hasn't lost that instinct; he probably never will. He knew enough about the situation to recognize that something was off, and he acted on that instinct." She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts before returning to the narrative. "We took it to Missing Persons that night, but they blew us off. No matter how many times I pointed out that she was an FBI agent and therefore it was a lot more likely that something bad happened to her than it would be with a member of the general public, they insisted that, and I quote, 'a woman who goes off the radar for a few hours isn't anything to get upset about'. I would've pushed it further but I could tell it wouldn't do any good."

"And the FBI?" Don asked from where he sat on the edge of a desk. "You said they hadn't been very helpful either."

"Similar issue," Alex said grimly. "Carolyn had, um, a bit of a rough start when she started working for the Feds ten years ago - she was a transfer from NYPD. She never jeopardized a case, she's much too professional for that, but she didn't try to hide how unhappy she was with the change of agency that was basically forced on her either. She got past that more than a few years ago, but some superiors have long memories. One all but said outright that she's probably the FBI equivalent of AWOL."

Don shook his head, frowning. "That's not the Carolyn Barek I know. Being vocal about a transfer she didn't appreciate - that I have no trouble believing. But upset or no, she's incredibly dependable. Even the FBI knows that, or they would never have assigned her to a case on the level of the one we worked."

"Well, they weren't exactly hearing arguments. That's why I called you."

"And I made a few calls," he said, picking up the story. "Then I get in the next morning and hear that McNeil is also missing."

"McNeil was vacationing here in New York." Cho picked up the narrative, taking Alex's place at the front of the room as she sat back down. "Visiting his sister and her family. He was supposed to spend a day doing the tourist thing and then go out to dinner with her and her kids. She started to worry when he didn't show for dinner and, like with Barek, she couldn't get in contact with him."

"I guess it is theoretically possible for it to be a coincidence," Don added, "but it's not very likely, right, buddy?" That last was directed to Charlie.

"Coincidences do happen," the younger man replied. "But the probability is...very low, especially given the established characteristics of the parties involved. Once we rule out the possibility that one or both of them disappeared of their own volition...it's much more likely that the two cases are connected that that this is a coincidence."

"So the connection between the two is this assignment," Lisbon said. "At least, that's what we're thinking?"

"It's the only connection I could find," Don confirmed. "I was pretty sure I remembered that they had never met each other before they were assigned to me, but I went back and cross-checked their histories to confirm. Those six months were the only time their paths ever crossed."

"Which brings us to..." Alex prompted.

Don looked around the assembled crowd. "I had to pull strings just to get clearance to tell you all the details. What I'm about to tell you stays in this room, understand?" The question was met by a series of nods. "Okay. The case involved what we classified as a domestic terrorist organization. Specifically, the group was anti-government, and even more anti-government spending. I won't disgust you with the details of what they went around spewing, but suffice to say, the gist of it was that the government was leeching off of hardworking Americans to prop up the weak and lazy."

"Nothing we haven't heard before," Jane muttered.

"Not quite," Don replied, "though I'm sure some of the mainstream media talking points fueled that fire. But this was like that times five, with a heavy dose of eugenics thrown in - as in, people who couldn't survive without some form of assistance shouldn't have the right to survive at all. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before. They'd been at it for years, but as long as it was only talk, there was very little that any government agency could do. Of course, that all changed when intelligence dug up information indicating that the group was working on a plan for simultaneous attacks at multiple locations across the country."

"And that's where the FBI comes in," Lisbon surmised.

Don nodded. "Because of the severity of the threat, a special team was assembled - essentially handpicked by the FBI top dogs. Four of us in total, though we had access to pretty much any resource we needed to complete the assignment. Barek was the team's profiler, McNeil was our tech expert. Both of them ended up being vital to the operation."

"Seeing as I never heard word one about anything like this on the news," Jane interjected, "I assume you were successful in preventing this planned attack?"

Another nod. "It took months, like I said, but we were eventually able to crack the organization structure and subsequently collapse it."

"By collapse," Lisbon asked, "you mean..."

"Make a _lot_ of arrests," Don confirmed. "Coordinated with local offices all over the country to take down as many people as we could at once, before they could warn each other, while we went after the leaders."

"But there's a problem," Charlie, who had been silently taking in the briefing up to that point, piped up. "Distributed autonomous network."

"Say _what_?" Alex replied.

"Distributed autonomous network." Charlie stood, making his way to the front of the room. "Independent parts working collectively, but without lateral communication. It's, um, it's like a tree."

"A tree," Jane repeated skeptically.

"Yeah." Charlie appeared undaunted by the other consultant's skepticism. "Every tree begins from a single source - the trunk. Now, as the tree grows, branches begin to form. These branches then exhibit the same behavior, splitting off into more branches, which split off again and so on. So, if you were to start from a given leaf and work backwards, you would encounter a number of splits between that leaf and the trunk. The same holds true for any other leaf, except that the path you trace back from that specific leaf is likely to be different than it would be for a leaf a few feet higher up, or on the other side of the tree. Now, many large human groups operate in the same way - foundations, political organizations, clubs, even the FBI. An individual unit, like a team, is technically connected to the people who run the entire system, but the connection is...filtered, if you will, through a series of individuals. This allows for more effective and efficient distribution of work than if the people on top had to supervise each person individually."

"This normal for you?" Alex asked Don in an undertone.

He grinned in response. "Oh, yeah. Don't worry, it'll all make perfect sense in a minute."

"The difference," Charlie was saying, "between a normal group structure and a terror cell is the restriction of information. In this kind of organization, people only know who they're getting information from and who they're supposed to pass it to. So a person at the lowest level - a leaf, if you will - doesn't know who the person on top is or possibly even what the full mission is; they only know what their role is and who their contact is. Likewise, the leader of the organization only knows who his or her next-in-command people are, and similar information limits hold true for the people in the middle. Therefore, it would be almost impossible for anyone to identify every single individual in this group, because no one person knows all or even most of the pieces."

"I'll be damned," Alex whispered to Don. "You're right. It _does_ make sense."

"So," Zach said after a moment, "you think a branch might have fallen off this tree, so to speak?"

A grin split Charlie's face. "Not bad. And the short answer to your question is, yes, I think that's probable. I'd need a lot more data to even attempt to quantify the who and what of the situation, but assuming the recent kidnappings are related to the case Don and the team solved, it does seem likely that the perpetrators would be a small sub-group that was missed in the initial series of arrests."

"Wait a second," Alex broke in. "I think we're missing something. More specifically some _one_. Don, you said there were four people on your team. So far, I've only heard references to three - you, Barek, and McNeil. Where does the fourth agent fit in?"

"Ian?" the agent replied. "He's a tracker - a damn good one. The only member of the team I knew before the assignment started. Bureau brought him in for his experience in finding people who don't want to be found. It's kind of amazing, actually, how much the skills used to follow somebody over wild terrain can be translated to the less literal kind of hunting we were doing. I have to give my bosses credit, much as I hate to credit the pencil pushers with anything. They really did put together a top team. What," he added after a moment, seeming to pick up on Alex's train of thought, "you think whoever did this might come after him next?"

"It makes sense," Jane put in from his corner. "Why target only half the team? Unless there was some extra connection between Barek and McNeil - some part of the project just the two of them worked on -"

"There wasn't. Not that I can think of."

"Then they're probably targeting the whole team. Those were just the people they could get to the easiest."

"Which means," Alex picked back up, "that both of the remaining team members are potential targets. Where is this Ian now?"

"I don't know. I doubt many people do, really. Like I said, Ian's primary work is tracking fugitives. He could pretty much be anywhere."

The junior agent on Don's team let out a soft laugh. "I think Ian can take care of himself."

"Nikki's got a point," Don admitted, "but I'm not sure how much that'll matter. From what I remember, Barek's tough as nails too."

"She is," Alex confirmed.

"Now, Ian may be harder to _find_ ," he added, "but we have to assume they'd have a way of taking him down if they did. I'll call Quantico, get them to find someone to give Ian a heads-up next time he checks in."

"While you're at it," Charlie added, "see how much information you can get on where he is and where he may have been in the past month or so."

Alex frowned a bit. "No offense, but how does knowing where he's been help us?"

"None taken," he assured her. "And to answer your question, it's not about where he actually is. The real question is, where will these people be looking for him? It's more data on possible locations, and more data is always better. In the meantime, I can start analyzing the information already available. I have the case file; what would help would be information on Barek and McNeil's movements, both on the day they disappeared and the days leading up to it."

"I think we have that for McNeil," Cho said, "starting with when he landed in New York three days before the kidnapping."

"Yeah, that's good," Charlie replied.

"I can pull it together for Barek," Alex added. "I _was_ more focused on her cases than her physical movements, but it shouldn't be hard to get the information, now that I know I'm looking for it."

Another nod. "I'll start with McNeil, then. As soon as I have the other information, I'll expand the parameters." He cast a glance around the crowded conference room. "Uh, is there somewhere I can spread out a bit?"

Nikki chuckled lightly. "What did I tell you?"

"There's a smaller room we don't use much," Zach offered. "It's not a lot of space but it should give you what you need."

The two FBI team leaders, meanwhile, had been having a quick, whispered conference in one corner, and now Don turned back to the group. "We know that this is going to be a little bit of a challenge, since this group is made up of several teams that usually work as independent units, but we need to be working fully together on this, and Cho and I agree that the best way to do that is to have one person leading this combined team." He turned to Alex. "We're on your turf, Lieutenant, and we recognize that. What do you say?"

It took her a moment to process the unexpected request, but then she smiled. "Okay. Let's get to it. But," she added to Don and Cho, "I'd like to meet with the two of you."

 **Yes, I had Charlie give a mini-lecture. Those who know Numb3rs had to be half-expecting it.**

 **Distributed autonomous network is a theory that Charlie brings up in the Numb3rs episode _Under Pressure_ ; I put together the tree metaphor because I thought it worked better to explain the situation in this story than the one used in the episode (in which the network was much more limited).**

 **I did also completely invent the concept of the organization that Don and the team were chasing. I wanted something completely out of left field (to avoid even hinting at any actual group) and that was what I came up with.**

 **For those who watch Numb3rs, the past assignment is supposed to be the "Special Agent in Charge gig" that Don mentions in the series finale. I already had an outline for this story in the works when I saw the finale, and I wanted him to be able to stick with the team, but that line gave me a perfect setup for a reason that Don, Barek, and an Austin agent would all be involved in a single case.**

 **Please review!**


	4. Just Like You, Just Like Me

**Thought Police**

 **Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, it's not mine. This story is on an AU track.

 **Chapter 4: Just Like You, Just Like Me  
**

"You know," Charlie said with a wry smile, "until you introduced yourself, I was half-convinced that you weren't actually, well, you."

Zach laughed with a slight shake of his head. "I could say the same about you. Wow, what's it been, eleven years?"

"Eleven years, two months, and one week since you moved on from LA," Charlie replied immediately.

"Of course. No approximates around you, right?"

"Right," Charlie said with a grin that quickly faded. "And nine years, three months, eight days since you sent me that last email I never answered. I just...I didn't...and then I meant to, but I could never figure out what to say about all that time -" He stopped, drawing a breath to collect his thoughts. "My mom got sick," he said finally. "Cancer."

"Charlie, I'm sorry," Zach said softly.

The shorter man nodded once in acknowledgement. "I didn't - I didn't know how to handle it. I couldn't handle it. So I just sort of...shut the world out for awhile. Threw myself into math. And then after - after she died, I pretty much fell apart. It wasn't until about nine weeks later that I could even think about getting back to life. By then it had been over five months since your last email, and I didn't want to just write and fall back into the old rhythm like nothing had happened, but I couldn't figure out how to tell you, especially since I was still afraid to spend too much time dwelling on what had happened, so I just...let it go. I'm sorry."

"Don't. It's okay, I understand. Don't you remember? That's basically what I was doing in LA in the first place, trying to put some distance between myself and something I didn't know how to handle."

"I remember." Charlie gave a quick glance around the squad room. "That's a big part of why I was so surprised to see you here. I remembered you said you weren't a cop anymore."

Zach shrugged. "I was...I guess I was wrong. Or maybe lying to myself. At the time, the only way I knew how to deal with my problems was distance, so I created some distance. But I was never really happy about being away, from the city or from a job I'd come to love. In retrospect, I think that's why I moved around so much during that time. Maybe I just didn't want to admit to myself that leaving was almost as hard as staying would have been. But enough about me," he added after a few moments' slightly awkward silence. "What about you? You being here is at least as unexpected as me being here."

That got a laugh from Charlie. "Yeah, I guess from your perspective it would be. It's become so normal I forget sometimes how different it is from how I used to be."

"I take it the similarity in name between you and the lead agent is more than a coincidence?"

Charlie's smile nearly split his face in half. "He's my brother."

"Your brother?" Zach repeated incredulously. "The one you told me about?"

Charlie nodded. "He came back to LA when Mom got sick. Things changed. A lot. One day, about a year after Mom died, I looked at a map Don left on the table, got an idea...I had no idea how much my life was going to change in that moment. At first it was just a consult here and there, but within a few months it was almost a second full-time job."

"Because your first full-time job isn't enough."

Charlie laughed, shrugging. "Strange as it might sound, I enjoy it. I mean, I enjoy math on the academic level too, always have, but the impact is so abstract and limited. When I use math to find a kidnapped child or stop a bank robbery, there's an immediate and real impact to real people. It's kind of incredible."

Zach smiled knowingly. "Not strange at all. Not to me, anyway. So," he added, changing the subject, "I don't recall that ring you're wearing being on your hand while we were whiling away the hours playing chess. How long have you been married?"

"Four years." Another ear-to-ear grin. "Her name's Amita and she's a math professor too."

"And you didn't bring her along?" he teased.

"Are you kidding?" Charlie laughed. "It's the FBI. Hard enough to get them to pay for travel for one consultant, let alone two. Besides," he added, now almost quivering with excitement, "she's pregnant. I don't think a cross-country flight would have agreed with her."

Zach laughed too. "A wife _and_ a soon-to-be baby? I'm only gone a decade and look what happens." He gave his friend a gentle slap on the back. "Congratulations. When's she due?"

"Early January. But what about you? I don't see a ring...is there a girl in your life?"

"Well," he hedged, "literally, yes. But not in the way I think you meant it." He took a few steps over to his desk, reaching out to snag a framed photo and passing it to Charlie. "Andrea. The girl in my life."

He examined the photo for a long moment; Zach beaming as he held a small, black-haired girl in his arms. The girl was smiling too, arms around his neck and legs wrapped around his waist. "She's beautiful. How old?"

"Nine," he replied, now mirroring the proud smile Charlie had worn earlier.

" _Nine_?" Charlie repeated. "And you thought you'd missed a lot?"

The tall man laughed, shaking his head. "Not exactly. She's been on Earth for nine years, but she's only been mine for a year and change. That photo," he indicated the frame Charlie was holding, "that was taken on July eleventh of this year. The family court judge had just finalized the adoption. I was fostering for a year, almost to the day, before that."

"Wow." Charlie shook his head slightly, trying to wrap it around this new information.

"I know," Zach admitted. "It's about as far from what anyone, including me, expected from me as you can get."

"Hey." Charlie smiled knowingly. "Life doesn't always go the way we think it will. All I know is, you're happy. I can see it in this picture and I can hear it in your voice when you talk about her. And I think right now, that's all I need to know."

xxxxxxxxx

"I need a basic layout on each of your teams," Alex explained to Don and Cho. "Who usually does what, what skills each person has, that sort of thing. Including consultants."

Cho spoke up first. "You might have noticed, but we're down a person at the moment. I just took over the team leader job and my spot hasn't been filled yet. In regards to what I do have: Lisbon is pretty well-rounded, I can use her pretty much anywhere I need someone. Before she came to the FBI, she ran a team at a state agency; she's more than capable of managing people effectively. Not that there's any shortage of that here," he added, deadpan, looking between Alex and Don. "Wylie's a computer expert. Doesn't mean I exclusively keep him in the office, but if you need someone to pull off some technical stunt, he's your guy. As for Jane -" Cho went silent for a moment, seeming to consider how exactly to describe the team consultant. "His skill is people," he began. "He understands how they think, and when necessary, he can use that to get information. The one thing to know, though, is that while he may work for the FBI, he doesn't really fall into the FBI hierarchy very well. He has his own way of doing things, his own code as it were. I admit," he added, "there's been a time or two where he was right and kept us from doing something we would have regretted. But, that aside, he needs someone to keep an eye on him. Lisbon or I would probably be best; he actually listens to us. Sometimes."

"Understood," Alex replied, biting back a laugh. "Don?"

The agent in question turned towards her, having briefly looked away to hide a laugh of his own. "Right. My team. Granger's my second-in-command, he's as dependable as they come. A hard-ass when it's called for, but also incredibly compassionate and patient when it's called for, more than you might expect when you meet him. He's usually my first choice to interview victims and families. Warner's pretty by-the-book, easygoing, pretty much fits in anywhere, like Cho was saying about Lisbon. Now Bentencourt - Nikki - she's a bit of a hothead, and sometimes has to be reminded to wait for all the facts before she jumps to conclusions. That said, I'd put my life in her hands any day of the week and not think twice about it."

"And Charlie?" Alex prompted when he fell silent. "I caught the fact you have the same last name; you two are what? Brothers? Cousins?"

"Brothers," Don confirmed. "Yeah. Charlie...Charlie's Charlie. Okay, so for your purposes, most important thing is that Charlie doesn't really do fieldwork in the conventional sense. Sometimes he'll go to a scene for analysis, but he doesn't really interview people or do that sort of thing. We just give him the data and let him go to work on it."

"So...wait a second," Alex interjected. "Forgive me, but...what exactly is it that Charlie does for you?"

Don let out a short laugh. "Sorry. I guess I skipped a few steps, huh? Charlie's a mathematician - he kind of takes the idea of applied mathematics to the next level, especially when he's working with us."

"So, the whole tree thing -"

"Yeah, that's normal," Don confirmed. "He's pretty good at translating that stuff for us - which is good, because when he starts using academic terms, the whole team gets lost pretty quickly. If he doesn't do it automatically, just ask him to clarify. And if he's working, just let him work unless you need to tell him something. When he gets in the zone, it's best to just let him run with it."

"Okay," Alex agreed. _He was right about one thing, I suppose. I don't think anyone local has a mathematician on the payroll._ "I'll start dividing up assignments."

xxxxxxxxx

"Okay," Alex said briskly. "Right now, what we seem to need most is more information. Zach, Serena, I need you to re-interview McNeil's sister, focusing this time on the days before he went missing. If you get anything that looks like a lead, run it down. Jane, I hear you've got a skill for helping people remember things they might have ignored; you and Lisbon see what you can do about the witnesses from tour bus pickup point. Warner, Bentencourt, I need you two to retrace Carolyn's movements after she left the FBI. We're looking primarily for her car, registry and route info are here." She handed a folder to Nikki. "If you find the car - or anything else that could help - call CSU. Don, Cho, see what you can run down on anyone not in prison who might have connections to the group you broke up. Wylie, see what still exists in terms of internet chatter for this group. Do what you can to trace anything you come across. Granger, you're with me."

Colby approached Alex as the groups split off. "Okay, I'm with you. Where are we going?"

"We need to re-interview Mike, Carolyn's boyfriend," she said as they stepped into an elevator. "It's going to be a bit of a tricky interview. Don says you're good at navigating the waters on that kind of thing."

"Learned art," he demurred, "that's all. But what's the issue? He's the victim's boyfriend, and according to you a former cop. Isn't he on our side?"

As they emerged from One Police Plaza, Alex started for the driver's side of the SUV, then paused. "Sorry, did you want to drive?"

"No, it's okay." He opened the passenger's side door. "You know where we're going, anyway. I guess you don't ride with people much anymore, what with running a unit."

"It's not just that. Before I got the promotion, I worked with a partner for ten years who liked to use the time we spent driving on analysis. I would drive, he would think. By the second year, it was just automatic that I'd get in the driver's seat. And to answer your question," she backtracked, "yes, Mike is on our side, but the local PD massively mishandled the initial investigation. He's upset, and I don't blame him, but that's going to make any subsequent interviews that much harder. That's why I assigned myself to this interview too; he knows me, he knows I've been as frustrated as he has."

"Fair enough," Colby said with a small smile. "If the same thing happened to someone I cared about, I might not be feeling so cooperative myself. So," he added, "anything I should know right off the bat? Things to avoid mentioning?"

Alex smiled too. _Yeah, he gets it._ "Um, first off, Mike has zero family, and it's not a pleasant topic, so I'd avoid it altogether if at all possible - especially in the context of potential support systems," she added. "Other than that...just be direct. As long as you don't come off like you're accusing him of something, he'll give you a straight answer to a straight question."

"Tells it like it is, huh?" Colby nodded. "Sounds kind of like Don. It's gotten him in trouble a time or two."

"Only two?" Alex teased.

He laughed. "Yeah, well...maybe a little more than that." He shrugged. "Personally, I think it makes him better at his job, but the brass would rather we dance around things – unless we're talking to them, of course, then we better not spin anything."

"Don't I know it. I've known more than my share of good cops who ran into trouble because the NYPD brass didn't like the way they handled things. My first Captain in Major Case was nearly framed for a coverup that never happened, all because he didn't cover for a high-ranking bad cop. My partner was badmouthed for years over a similar incident."

Colby scoffed softly. "Yeah, short-term memory my ass."

Alex turned slightly to give him an odd look. "What?"

He reddened slightly. "Sorry, I was just thinking of something someone said to me once. A cop who was forced to retire after he crossed a couple lines. He said that at the top it's all short-term memory; they only remember the last thing you did. But I think he underestimates their ability to hold a grudge."

She chuckled. "Depends if they take it personally, I think. If it's a procedural thing, even a big one, your friend might be right. But if you cross them personally? They _never_ forget."

"Oh? Which were you?"

"How did you..."

He shrugged. "I'm not an FBI agent for nothing, you know."

She laughed. "I'm a whole other category. I swear they couldn't decide if they hated or loved me..."

xxxxxxxxx

The man who came to the door looked as though he hadn't slept in a week. The Lieutenant's face filled with compassion and concern as soon as she saw him. "Mike."

"Alex," he replied softly. "Is there...is there news? What's going on?"

"Nothing concrete, but we are working a new lead." Sympathy was evident in every word. "This is Agent Granger, he's working on Carolyn's case."

"Colby." He offered his hand to Mike, who hesitated for a moment and then shook it.

"Don't worry," Alex reassured him. "He's with me. Can we come in?"

"Yeah. Sure." Mike stepped back from the door, turning and walking towards the living room. "What do you need from me?"

"Information," Colby replied as all three of them found seats. "We think it's likely that whoever took her planned everything out in advance. What we need is to map her movements in the days leading up to her disappearance. If we can establish what and when, we might be able to extrapolate who."

Mike nodded, a firm determination filling his pained and tired face. "Okay."

"We have her work schedule from Alex," Colby began. "What we need details on are her movements outside work for the last few weeks. Do you always stay here?"

"Uh, no. A lot of times, it's much closer to work for both of us, but she still has her apartment. We've talked about moving in together when her lease ends, but we hadn't - we never made a decision."

"But she was headed here on the day she disappeared?" Mike nodded again, and Colby continued. "And you last spoke to her when?"

"About three that afternoon. I called her to ask if, um, if she was going to be getting off work on time. Damn," he added, "that sounds completely wrong when I say it out loud. Like I was keeping tabs on her or something."

"What _was_ it like?" Colby prompted.

He swallowed hard. "I'd had...I'd had a really bad day. I just wanted to know if I'd be able to see her that night. She understood that. She said everything looked good, she'd be here before six if she didn't hit traffic."

"And you tried to call her again when?"

"Around seven. I'm not the type to nitpick over a few minutes, but an hour's delay on what would normally be a twenty-minute drive seemed like a lot, and it's not like Carolyn not to let me know what's going on if there was a massive traffic jam or something. But it went straight to voicemail. I left a message, sent a text, and waited. When I didn't hear from her, I tried again, a couple of times. Then I called Alex, in case she knew anything."

"Which I didn't," the Lieutenant said softly.

"And, well, that's about it. I went to Missing Persons, that was a disaster, talked with Alex again, she said she'd try to handle it from the FBI end, and here we are."

"When you say Missing Persons was a disaster..."

"First they laughed. One of them tried to joke with me about putting on some kind of show for Alex. He, uh, implied some things about me and her which I almost decked him for."

Alex sat up a bit, surprised. "You didn't tell me that!"

He shrugged. "One of us needed to keep a cool head, and it wasn't going to be me."

Colby winced slightly. "I take it that wasn't exactly a good start to the interview."

"That's the understatement of the century. At the best of times, a comment like that would've been off-color, disrespectful to both of us, and to Carolyn and Bobby - that's Alex's fiance. To suggest that I'd cheat, or even think about it, when I'd come to them for help finding my girlfriend - well, he should be grateful I've learned to rein in my temper a bit. There was a time I would've swung first and thought later."

Colby couldn't help but laugh. "I know a thing or two about that. So," he continued more soberly, "what happened next?"

"Well, once he realized I wasn't playing his game, he got annoyed at me for wasting his time. Said I was overreacting. It devolved from there. Alex had to intervene and walk me out before things got completely out of hand."

"No great loss," she put in. "The other detective was busy treating me like a hysterical woman who'd gone off the rails."

"The callousness is bad enough on its own," Mike said bitterly. "But the time they wasted not investigating, if that turns out to have made a difference, I don't know what I might be capable of."

"Let's not go there right now," Colby said firmly, but with a comforting tone underlying the words nonetheless. "You've got ten good officers working on this case now, and they will be doing everything they can to find her."

Mike started slightly at the number, but the reassurance had the desired effect, and he relaxed a bit. "I'll hold you to that."

Colby responded with a kind smile. "Let's back up a bit. The days before Carolyn's disappearance - I assume that if you'd noticed anyone following you, you'd already have mentioned it."

Mike nodded, smiling a bit too despite himself. He was beginning to like the agent, seeing similarities much like the one Colby had observed.

"What about public places? Has she been anywhere lately where someone might have picked up a trail?"

"No, I don't think so," he said after a moment's thought. "We haven't really been out much. Carolyn's been working long hours and by the time she's done she just wants to stay in."

"Let me ask you this. How difficult would it be for a random member of the public, someone who's interested but who you don't know directly, to figure out that you and Carolyn are a couple?"

He considered this. "I'm not sure. Probably not that hard. I mean, we haven't made some big announcement, but we're not secretive about it. And," he added, "people might not know that we're dating, but still know there's a connection between us. Carolyn and I were partners on the force for about a year before she went back over to the FBI, we got our names in the paper a time or two over a high-profile case."

"And what do you do? I've never known a retired cop who could just sit back and let life pass them by."

"Private firm," he replied, smiling at Colby's comment. "My old Captain on the force runs it, pretty much all his employees are retired NYPD."

"Anything especially public, something that might call attention to you?"

Mike suddenly sat bolt upright, eyes going wide. "Oh, my God."

"What?" Colby pressed gently. "You think of something?"

"Not work," he said, still sounding shocked. "Last week, I spent a couple of days testifying in a criminal trial. Open court."

Colby was nodding slowly. "What kind of case?"

"Child abuse." He couldn't bring himself to elaborate; just thinking about the details made him want to be sick. "I was the one who called 911, so I was asked to testify. The day Carolyn disappeared was the second and last day of my testimony for this case; I was really drained from an especially rough cross, that's why I called her. But there were multiple people involved in this case, it's not my first time taking the stand about what I saw. Oh, God," he said again. "And I wouldn't have noticed someone watching me because everyone was watching me."

"It's not your fault." Alex rose from her seat to stand beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "If they did tail you to find her, they were clearly waiting for any possible opportunity."

"She's right," Colby added. "Someone who goes to that level of trouble would have just found another way."

"Who's the ADA on the case?" Alex asked, hoping to focus him away from guilt. "Maybe they noticed something."

"Um, Barba. Rafael Barba."

"Okay, we'll talk to him." Alex squeezed his shoulder gently. "Hang in there, Mike. We're doing everything we can."

 **In case anyone couldn't guess, Zach and Charlie knowing each other was pretty much always a plan for this story. The similarities between Mike Logan and Colby Granger, however, are almost entirely incidental, just things I thought of as I was writing the chapter.**

 **The scene with Alex, Cho, and Don was basically an excuse for me to explain the Mentalist and Numb3rs characters for any readers not familiar with those shows. Cho's mention of a time where Jane was right and kept them from doing something they'd regret is mainly a reference to the episode _Nothing Gold Can Stay_ , where Jane talks down several suspects that the team was ready to kill; I always thought that in that scene, he was the one in the right.**

 **The mention of Alex's captain and partner (Deakins and Goren) getting on the wrong side of the police department are references to the episodes _My Good Name_ and _Amends_ respectively.**

 **Please review!**


	5. Play a Hunch

**Thought Police**

 **Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, it's not mine. This story is on an AU track.

 **Chapter 5: Play a Hunch  
**

"Poor guy," Colby commented as he stepped into the passenger's seat of the SUV. "I see what you mean about the mess the local PD made. I would've probably wanted to hit somebody too."

"I almost did," Alex admitted, "and I didn't know about the innuendo. But there's another layer when it comes to Mike. Fifteen years ago, while he was on the job he lost his temper and threw a punch at a recently-acquitted suspect in front of a press barricade."

Colby winced. "How bad did that turn out?"

"He was lucky not to be thrown off the force," Alex replied bluntly. "As it was, they buried him in a remote precinct on Staten Island for a decade; he finally clawed his way out with the help of our old Captain - the same guy he works for in the private sector now. But some people never forget. In some circles, he's been painted with the rageaholic label ever since. Cops are pretty split on the issue; to some he's a hero, to others, he never should've kept his shield. I didn't want to find out the hard way which way these guys lean."

"Think that's what the defense in that trial threw at him?" Colby asked curiously. "He seemed like he'd been pretty rattled."

Alex shook her head. "No, I don't think so. If that had been it, he might have been irritated, but reminding him of that incident wouldn't be enough to throw him off. Mike's a lot tougher than that. But as to what it could've been -" She shrugged. "If he wanted me to know, he would've told me, and that's good enough for me. If it's not relevant to the case, I try not to pry too deeply into people's personal lives." She couldn't help a small chuckle. "Of course, it helps that my partner used used to do all the prying for both of us, and he barely had to ask a single question."

"The same one you were telling me about? The one who didn't like to drive?"

"Yeah, him." She smiled. "I could fill volumes with all the interesting things he did."

"Sounds like you could practically read his mind by the end," he commented with a smile.

Alex grinned, blushing a bit. "You could say that."

"Hey, no reason to be embarrassed. I had a partner like that once too. Nikki used to give us so much crap for it too. Referred to me as David's girlfriend whenever she got the chance." He laughed softly. "To be fair, we didn't exactly go out of our way to dissuade her. We once went to dinner as each other's dates to win a bet."

Alex laughed too. "Really?"

"Oh, yeah. And the ironic part is that the bet came up in the first place because Nikki was teasing David and me about not having a social life."

"What happened to him?"

A mock annoyed expression filled Colby's face. "Bastard left me for DC." Then he couldn't hold the facade anymore and grinned. "Nah, actually I was happy for him. He got his own team; I know he'd been wanting that for awhile. It's just...having my best friend on the other side of the continent, especially coming from a situation where I saw him pretty much every day, isn't always easy. What about you?" he added. "Did you leave your partner, or did he leave you?"

She chuckled. "He retired. He was...different, and the department wasn't exactly accepting of it. The brass was always looking over his shoulder, waiting for the moment when he was going to suddenly lose his mind or some such. Most of the department, except the people who worked with him directly, thought he was off his rocker. And don't get me started on the 'blue wall' crap - suffice to say, he didn't believe in it, and some people didn't like that. After a decade of things just getting progressively worse, I think he decided he'd had enough. I took the promotion after he left; that was enough to make me think it might be time for a change myself." She shrugged. "At least he still lives in the same city."

"You see him a lot?"

"I didn't, at first," she admitted. "It was kind of weird between us. It was like we didn't know how to define our relationship once we weren't partners anymore. It took seeing one of my friends take the plunge to make me admit that I, you know, had feelings for him." She blushed again, unconsciously running her left thumb over the metal band on her ring finger. "Now we have a six-month-old baby, we're engaged, and it feels strange to go through a day where I don't see him."

Colby whistled softly. "Wow. Mike mentioned a fiance but I didn't realize it was your partner. Makes sense, though. You talk as if you're all but joined at the hip already."

"I suppose I do. And no, Mike wouldn't say anything unless he was certain I was okay with it. He knows what kind of stigma can hang around when even ex-partners start dating, and he and Carolyn were only partners for a year, nothing like me and Bobby."

"Don't tell me. NYPD has anti-fraternization rules."

She nodded. "Yeah. I know the FBI doesn't, but our brass is pretty insistent still. I mean, on one hand I kind of get that failed relationships can lead to problems, jealousy, mistrust, that kind of thing, but why not just address those problems if and when they pop up?"

Colby shrugged. "Hey, I'm on your side. I mean, apart from everything you just said, problems can happen in any relationship between two people, not just romances. And I should know," he added. "For all we were close most of the time, David and I had a major falling-out at one point. It got so bad that officers from other units were commenting. Actually, come to think of it, Don and Liz were dating at the time. They broke up a month later, and I think everyone would still agree that any tension between them, at any point, was nothing compared to David and me for a few weeks in there."

Alex laughed. "I rest my case." Then her mind latched onto something else. "Wait - Don and Liz? Really?"

"Oh, yeah. They're the perfect example to illustrate the point, though, if you think about it. If you didn't already know they used to date, you'd never guess it from the way they interact. Surprise, surprise, two people who dated and broke up are capable of working together and even being friends."

The conversation was forestalled when Alex slowed, flicking on the turn signal, only to swear softly and lean on the horn a moment later when someone cut around her, preventing her from making the turn. She grinned at Colby anyway. "New York, where the rules of the road are just suggestions."

He laughed. "Oh, please, I live in LA, I'm used to it. Threw me for a loop at first, though," he admitted. "I'm a small-town boy by birth. The first time some guys at Quantico talked me into spending an evening in DC, I was an accident waiting to happen. My friends actually threatened to get me wasted so they'd have an excuse not to let me drive."

Alex was laughing too as she pulled into the parking lot. "Did they?"

"Didn't have to. I was enjoying the experience about as much as they were; I was happy to let someone else take the wheel for the night, even if it was my car, and ease into the whole 'city traffic' thing at a less...instantaneous pace."

"You want to talk instantaneous pace," she retorted playfully, "try being a teenager growing up in the city. I was dealing with this kind of traffic as soon as I started learning to drive."

"Oh." Colby gave an exaggerated mock shudder. "I don't even want to _think_ about that."

They'd reached the front door at this point, and by unspoken agreement, they paused for a moment to collect themselves and focus back on the case. "Okay," Alex said once they were both mentally back to the issue at hand. "Let's see if this gets us anywhere."

xxxxxxxxx

"She put on a good show, but I don't think they were fooled."

The ADA's reply was forestalled when his phone rang loudly. "Hang on a sec." He grabbed up the receiver. "Barba." He listened for a moment, sighing audibly. "All right, fine. Send them up." He turned back to the Sergeant sitting across from him. "Apparently, the FBI wants a word."

"About what?" she replied after thinking over every open case they had. "I can't think of anything we've done recently that would've stepped on anyone's toes. Or anything that they might be interested in taking from us."

"No toe-stepping," a voice said from the doorway. "We promise."

The Sergeant turned in surprise, recognizing the voice. "Alex!"

The blonde woman smiled. "Hey, Liv. And you must be ADA Barba," she added to the man sitting beside the desk, extending a hand to him. "Lieutenant Alex Eames, Joint Terrorism. I'm sorry to bother you, but this really couldn't wait."

He took her hand, a confused expression crossing his face. "I thought they said you were FBI."

"I'm FBI," the man who had walked in behind her explained. "Agent Colby Granger. I think we may have confused the front desk staff a bit."

"ADA Rafael Barba, and this is Sergeant Olivia Benson." The man shook Colby's hand as he quickly introduced the two of them. "Take a seat. So, what _is_ this about?"

"Mike Logan," Alex replied, taking the offered seat. "He said he was testifying for you."

Benson immediately sat up straighter. "What happened? Is he okay?"

"Has he done something?" Barba asked at the same time.

"He's fine, and no." Alex answered them both at once. "Listen, what I'm about to say...you need to keep it to yourselves, okay?" She paused to let them acknowledge that before continuing. "It's his girlfriend who's in trouble. She's missing, almost certainly not of her own volition. She's also an FBI agent; that's why the secrecy, and why we're involved. But we think it's possible that whoever took her may have found her by following Mike, and his taking the witness stand would have given someone a chance to pick him up. He said he took the stand twice?"

"That's right," Benson confirmed. "Once a few months ago, and once last week."

"So I'm asking you - both of you, since Olivia's here - did you see anything, any _one_ , that seemed out of place either time?"

Barba considered the question for a moment. "Nothing jumps out at me, but that doesn't mean much. The examination and the cross were taking up most of my attention, especially this last time," he added with a grimace. "I'm not sure I would've noticed anything short of an all-out brawl in the gallery."

"Which, according to what Olivia's told me, has happened," Alex quipped. Barba smiled slightly, and Colby gave a small chuckle, but the Sergeant in question didn't react. "Liv? You with us?"

"There was something," she said after a moment. "At that first trial. I didn't put much stock in it at the time, just thought it was a little odd, but...there was a guy in the gallery who I couldn't make sense of."

"Why?" Colby was leaning forward slightly, his interest piqued. "What was he doing?"

"It's what he didn't do that caught my attention. The ME took the stand right before Logan - that's how I'm positive this guy was there for his testimony - and there were some pretty graphic pictures involved, several of which were displayed to the courtroom. I've been working Special Victims for fifteen years and even I was taken aback. A couple of the jury actually looked like they might be sick, and a few of the people in the gallery excused themselves in a hurry. But this guy...he didn't react at all. Didn't so much as flinch."

"Did you get a good look?" Alex asked almost breathlessly. _Could this be the break we need?_

"Oh, yeah. Believe me, that non-reaction got my attention quick. I mean, I never suspected anything like this, but I thought he might be, you know, one of those sickos who gets off on hearing about other people's suffering, and those kinds of people...there's more than a passing chance that they'll end up committing crimes themselves. I wanted to remember what he looked like...just in case."

"Would you be able to give us a sketch?"

She nodded firmly. "Absolutely. Tell you what, let's save ourselves both some time and trouble. I was about to head back to the precinct anyway, I'll grab one of our sketch artists and send the finished product over to you as soon as we have one."

"Not my office," Alex corrected quickly. "We're working this one out of Major Case."

"Major Case, then," she agreed. "And let me know if there's anything else I can do to help."

"I don't think our case is going to cross over with yours that much," Alex said as she stood to leave. "But I appreciate the offer."

The Sergeant shrugged. "An officer's missing. As far as I'm concerned, when that happens, any cop who can help should. Besides," she added, "it's also important to Logan. He's been nothing if not committed to these cases, regardless of how much our needs cut into the rest of his life; the least I can do is help out on this." Barba shot her an irritated look, but she ignored it. "Come on, I'll walk you out."

Alex just barely waited for the door to close behind the three of them before asking the question burning on her lips. "What was _that_ about?"

She sighed. "Suffice to say, the cross on Logan got a bit messy in this last trial."

"So he said," Colby chimed in. "But in my experience, that happens. And it doesn't explain why he'd be mad at the witness instead of the defense attorney."

"It's...complicated," Benson said after a moment. "His testimony was pretty solid on its face, so the defense dug pretty deep into his background to find anything they could use to muddy the waters. They ended up finding something that Barba wasn't aware existed. He was..."

"Less than thrilled?" Alex suggested.

"That's putting it mildly, but yes."

"You seem to be taking it a bit better," Colby remarked.

Benson shrugged. "It's not the best spot to be put in, I grant Barba that, but I don't think it hurt us any. But he's still ticked off about getting caught off guard that way."

"What was it?" Colby asked. "That thing Alex was telling me about where he punched a guy?"

Olivia looked perplexed for a moment, then chuckled slightly and shook her head. "The Crossley incident? No, we knew about that. We'd be pretty poor detectives if we didn't, it's still one of the first things that comes up if you google 'Mike Logan'. No, they had to dig pretty deep for this one, deeper than we had time to or thought we had a reason to."

Alex's eyes widened slightly as a final piece fell into place. "They didn't...they brought his _childhood_ into it?"

Olivia nodded, closing her eyes slightly. "The evidence is heavily on our side, and the defense knew it. They're trying for reasonable doubt, but in order for that to even have a chance to work they have to find somewhere in the investigation to poke holes. So they tried to imply that Logan had biased the investigation towards the mother, causing us to focus on her as our lead suspect before we fully ruled out other possibilities."

"That's ridiculous," Alex said flatly. "I hope that when you said you don't think it hurt you, it means the jury didn't buy that crap."

"Didn't seem that way. What the defense apparently failed to take into account was that bringing up a witness' traumatic childhood would make the jury feel for him. Pretty much from the get-go it came across as the defense attorney bullying a sympathetic witness. Then Mike managed to get his game face back on and actually turned some of the questions around, strengthening his own position with his answers. And then, just to top it all off, Barba recalled my partner as a rebuttal witness to clear up what Logan had said to us and how we came to consider the mother a suspect; of course, being thorough and all, he made sure to point out that one had nothing to do with the other. When all was said and done, I think the defense came out of that exchange worse than we did. Which doesn't mean that I think it's all perfectly okay," she added. "It's hard enough for people who know that's what they're getting into. Blindsiding someone like that is a dirty trick in my book."

"It sounds like him saying he had a bad day was the understatement of the day," Colby commented, "even _before_ his girlfriend disappeared."

"That was the same _day_?" Olivia said incredulously. "My God." She ran a hand across her face. "Would her name happen to be Carolyn?"

Alex and Colby exchanged startled looks before turning them on Olivia. "How..."

"Nothing sneaky or labor-intensive," she assured them. "I saw him in the hall after he testified. I went up to him to ask if he was okay, if he needed anything, and I heard him on the phone with her. It seemed like she was a real source of support for him - damn." She sighed audibly as the elevator door dinged open. "I'll get that sketch to you as quick as I can."

xxxxxxxxx

"Zero luck with the tourists," Lisbon reported tiredly. "And not for lack of trying. I don't think anyone saw McNeil at the pickup point. Probably intentional on the part of his abductor."

"Same story at the sister's house," Zach added as he and Serena walked in on the heels of the Austin pair. "They didn't notice anything, and if McNeil did, he kept it to himself. The only thing she mentioned that even might be of interest was that he was an economical traveler; he thought cabs were a waste of money, so he always did his touristing on the subway."

"We pulled camera footage from the station near the sister's house," his partner continued, "but if this guy made any attempt at concealing himself, which he probably did, he's going to be a needle in a haystack on those tapes."

"Maybe not." That was Alex, walking into the conference room with Colby. "It's thin, but we might have something. We tracked down a witness who thinks she may have seen someone following Mike, or at least paying unusually close attention to him. She's working on a sketch now; we should have it soon."

Lisbon glanced up from the chair she had slumped into. "You think they might've used the same guy?"

"It's possible," Colby replied. "Or the two of them might be connected in some way, in which case Charlie can work some of his math magic and find a way to pick out a guy following McNeil."

Alex gave a quick glance around at Colby's mention of the name. "Where is Charlie?"

"In his little room," Wylie said from the corner where he sat bent over his laptop. "Last time I looked, he was scribbling on a whiteboard and talking to someone on the video conference system. And before you ask, I could barely understand a word they were saying."

"Got to be someone at CalSci, then," Colby said with a smile. "That's pretty typical of Charlie in conversations with other experts. The technical terms start flying and anyone who doesn't have a PhD gets completely lost. Usually that's the part where the rest of us just let him work and trust him to come explain if he thinks there's something we need to know."

"Who, Charlie?" Don had walked in with Cho just in time to hear the end of his teammate's remark. "Yeah, Charlie using words that most people have never heard before is pretty common. He's only been doing it since he was about four. Which is even funnier because for all he uses words no one's heard of, he's got to be the worst speller in all of academia."

"Really," Alex said with a laugh.

"Oh, yeah. We once had an all-out debate over the spelling of 'anomaly' - me _and_ Dad against Charlie. I had to get the dictionary to settle it. So," he added, "what did we need Charlie for?"

"We don't yet," Colby explained, "but we might in a bit. We've got a sketch coming of a potential suspect in the Barek kidnapping. I thought Charlie might be able to do that algorithm thing he did on that one case to match it up to a face."

Colby caught several questioning looks for his turn of phrase, but Don just chuckled. "Copy that. The algorithm thing he did on that one case." His phone beeped, and he glanced at it. "Hang on, that's Liz. Maybe they've got news. Eppes," he said into the mouthpiece. "Yeah? Really? Okay, stay with it, I'll get techs out there." He hung up hurriedly. "They found Carolyn's car."

xxxxxxxxx

"Talk about hidden in plain sight," Colby commented as they walked past yet another row of cars. "You could hardly pick a better spot to make a car disappear."

"Except for one thing," Alex replied, frowning. "Every car has to be processed first. I notified all the impound lots to be on alert for this car. How did they miss it?"

"Because it wasn't here officially," Liz replied as she ran up to them, indicating for them to follow her. "The lot was the target of a high-end burglary the same night Barek disappeared. Two cars that were on the lot were jacked, so the first officers on scene assumed that was what they were after; no one thought to check for cars on the lot that weren't supposed to be. But when we called the lot to double-check if they'd processed it, the attendant we spoke to happened to mention the break-in. When we heard it was the same night, Nikki got a hunch."

Colby looked incredulously at the rows of cars that stretched out before his eyes. "How did you find it in this mess?"

"We didn't have to search the whole mess," Nikki replied from where she was standing beside the car, watching the techs work. "Thank God. They only knocked out one security camera. Once we knew where the blind spot had been, we were able to search just that area. Didn't take us long to find the car."

"No luck on prints," one of the techs reported. "Every surface has been wiped clean. But we'll flatbed it to the garage, see what else turns up. Maybe they missed something in a seam or a crevice. At the very least, we might be able to tell where it's been from the tires."

"Anything you can find," Alex confirmed. "We're flying blind right now. Whatever you can pull together has to be better than nothing."

"Besides," Nikki added with a slight smirk, "with the math wonder kid on our side, a piece of dirt could crack the case."

"A piece of dirt? Really?"

"She's exaggerating," Don assured Alex, then seeming to consider his words. "Slightly. I don't think we've ever solved a case on a piece of dirt...a single security camera photo, though..."

"How about a sketch plus a piece of dirt?" Alex teased.

"Well, now that you mention it..."

 **In case anyone hasn't figured it out yet, yes, the trial Mike was testifying in is the trial from _Little Girl Lost_. The first trial was for the six men captured at the house, the second (where Mike's childhood was brought into play) for Linda.**

 **The reference to Charlie doing an "algorithm thing" with a sketch is a reference to the Numb3rs episode _Brutus_ ; the argument over the spelling of "anomaly" was in _Man Hunt._ David and Colby's "date" was in _Friendly Fire._ _  
_**

 **My original thought for the impound lot was to have the car have come in but not been flagged because someone mixed up the numbers on the plate (which actually happened in an SVU episode, to massive and horrific effect) but I decided it just made a better story for someone to break into the lot to leave the car somewhere no one would be expected to look for it.**

 **Please review!**


	6. Follow the Evidence

**Thought Police**

 **Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, it's not mine. This story is on an AU track.

 **Chapter 6: Follow the Evidence  
**

"Charlie?"

The young man jumped a bit. "Hey, Lieutenant."

"Please, call me Alex. I didn't mean to startle you; I knocked, but you didn't answer."

He cringed slightly. "Sorry. I guess I can get a little...laser-focused."

She laughed, surprising him. "Don't apologize, it's all very familiar to me. I probably wouldn't know what to do without a laser-focused genius in the building. How's your network tree thing going?"

"Slow," he admitted. "There's a lot of little pieces, and it's not always obvious how they interconnect. Especially in this day and age of the Internet. People who have no apparent connection to each other could have met online over this very issue."

"Maybe this'll help." She handed him a folder, thumbing the cover back so he could see the sketch inside. "We think this man may be involved. Colby said you'd be able to match it up to a face."

"Well, most of the technology is yours anyway," he replied, eyes still fixed on the sketch. "Basic facial recognition software. What I can do is set up the program to run in such a way that it not only identifies matching characteristics, but also takes into account the most likely misses. It creates a wider set to run through, but also gives us a better probability of getting it right."

"Great. And you don't have to worry about getting it down to just one," she added. "If you can get it to a shortlist, I'm sure our witness would be willing to look through some photos. Oh, and the flash drive contains security video footage of McNeil the day he disappeared. Think your network analysis might be able to help us see if someone from the group might've been there, possibly following him?"

Charlie picked the flash drive up, holding it between his thumb and forefinger as he considered the question. "Network analysis may not be ideal for this problem. We don't know if the person following McNeil - assuming there is one - is in any of the files, and if he's not, all the network analysis in the world won't help us there. What may is crowd dynamics."

"Which is..."

"A basic measure of how people move through a space. See, the path that individuals take through a space isn't random. It's dictated by tasks, needs, convenience, obstacles...you get the idea. With something like a subway platform, it's fairly simple to analyze because everyone moving in a given direction presumably has the same objective: they want to get onto the train. Now, if I download the video and run it against my crowd dynamics program, I may be able to identify someone whose patterns don't conform to the overall crowd flow - someone whose path was dictated by a different objective."

"Following McNeil."

Charlie's eyes lit up. "Exactly! And if I can identify an individual, I can work that backwards into my network analysis - this could be a huge breakthrough in filling in the network diagram -"

Alex couldn't help laughing to herself. _He really does remind me of someone._ "Okay, then, I'll leave you to it."

"Mhm," Charlie said distractedly. "So now, if I just plug this in -"

She gently shut the door, still laughing.

xxxxxxxxx

"Charlie hard at work?" Don said with a smile.

"Oh, yeah. He was in the zone when I came in, and back in it before I left. Nothing new to me," Alex added with a chuckle. "My fiance can get the same way. So can Carolyn, for that matter."

Don nodded, his smile widening. "You know, I remember thinking that Carolyn's obsessiveness reminded me of Charlie. At first I thought it was just me - I've been around the kid for a good portion of my life, after all - but then Ian said the same thing."

"Sounds like you got to know her pretty well," Alex commented.

He shrugged, nodding slightly. "Yeah, that's probably accurate. I mean, for five months, I was working pretty much exclusively with three people. And there was more than a little...I suppose you could call it culture shock. I know that I'm technically in charge, I'm the one who has to make the decisions, but like I said before, I never was one to put up walls based on that. I want us to be a _team_ , with all that entails. John was so young, I could never convince him to think of me as anything other than a superior. And Ian was a loner, he always has been. Carolyn, though...she was someone I could talk to, and someone who wasn't afraid to tell me when she thought I was stepping over a line. As much as she reminded me of Charlie, she also reminded me of my old second-in-command – another outspoken profiler who wasn't afraid to call me to task when she thought I deserved it. And I – I appreciated Carolyn's honesty. I appreciated _her_."

Alex smiled. "Y'know, it wasn't so different with her and me. Except in my case, it was the permanent team, not a special assignment. When I heard she'd been transferred to my team, I was ecstatic. I'd known Carolyn as an equal years before I got promoted; I thought 'finally, someone who won't walk on eggshells around me'. Of course, now you're telling me that that's just how it is with her. Which I can believe. But it was...refreshing, all the same."

"If you don't mind my asking," he began a little hesitantly, "when _did_ you know her?"

"Um, 2005," she replied after a moment's thought. "She was in Major Case for a year when NYPD re-absorbed her from the FBI - which didn't last, as you know. A couple of months in, the two of us and our respective partners were teamed up to work a messy kidnapping-turned-murder. I knew her from around, enough to say hello, but that's when we really got to know each other. Why do you ask?"

"I was wondering -" he began before cutting himself off. "If I can ask one more question...this guy she's with now, the one you mentioned in the briefing, did she know him then?"

"I should hope so," Alex replied with a laugh, "they were partners. Why?"

He hesitated a moment, glancing around as if to make sure they wouldn't be overheard. "Something she told me once," he said finally. "I'm not entirely sure I should be telling you this, but while we were working together, she and Ian, they, um, they were...involved."

"Involved," she repeated, biting down on the laugh that bubbled up. "And you intervened?"

"Not professionally," he said immediately. "That would be the definition of hypocrisy...which, judging by your expression, you already know on some level. No, I approached Carolyn as a friend, and it wasn't to suggest she end it. I only wanted to make sure she realized...Ian's not the committing type. I didn't want to see her getting her hopes up only to get her heart broken."

"What did she say when you approached her?" Alex asked curiously.

"She laughed," he admitted. "Said thanks for the warning, but she wasn't naive, she knew exactly what she was getting into, and that she didn't want anything more than he did."

"Classic Carolyn." But Alex's smile gave way to an expression of confusion. "But what does this have to do with -"

"It's what she said after that," he interrupted gently. "She told me that she didn't think she could fall in love even if she wanted to, because she'd left her heart behind with a man she knew in New York. She said she hadn't seen him in years, but she couldn't get him out of her head. I told her that if she felt that way, maybe she ought to give it another shot."

Alex's brow furrowed slightly. "I'm not sure it fits. As far as I know, she and Mike only started dating earlier this year."

Don laughed slightly. "Actually, that fits like a glove. When I made the suggestion, she admitted that there hadn't actually been a _first_ shot. She said she thought she'd wrecked her chances with him pretty much right off the bat."

She let out something halfway between a laugh and a snort. "Not according to the way he looked at her when they first saw each other again."

"You were there?"

"Oh, yeah. Not that he seemed to remember anyone else was in the room once she came in. No question, whatever she was afraid of, to him it was in the past."

"I believe it. We talked for a good hour, and she gave me a sense of what had happened. She said that they'd barely known each other a week when she broke a major confidence. She wouldn't tell me what it was, of course, given that her revealing it in the first place seemed to be the root of her problem, but I gathered from the way she talked that it had to be significant. But she did admit that they'd formed a platonic friendship after the incident - which makes sense, if they were partners. At which point I told her that I didn't think she'd screwed things up nearly as much as she thought she had." He smiled at the memory. "I told her, from personal experience, that when it's the right person, there are very few mistakes you can make that would disqualify you from a second chance, and that if they were able to become friends, I doubted that whatever she'd done would rise to that level." He shrugged. "Guess she listened."

"She didn't have much of a choice," Alex replied wryly, "not with the proof staring her right in the face. That first meeting I was talking about was essentially a coincidence - I was in the hospital after I took a bullet during an incident, and they showed up to visit me at the same time. One look at each other and you could practically see the sparks flying off them. I think he had her on the brain just as much as she did for him."

Don chuckled again. "Sounds a lot like me and my wife," he admitted, absently running his finger over the ring on his left hand, much as Alex had caught herself doing many times when she thought of Bobby. "Dated for six months, broke up for a little over a year, and when we saw each other again..." He shook his head, looking for the right words. "Of course, in our case, there were still some hard feelings over the breakup, so it wasn't exactly a joyful reunion at first, but the feelings...they were still there. Even after all the hurt I'd felt, I still loved her."

"Apparently it worked out," she commented wryly.

Don smiled, but Alex couldn't help but think that it looked just a bit forced. "Yeah. I suppose it did."

xxxxxxxxx

"You said you had something?" Nikki called out to the tech as soon as she was within earshot, not even bothering with a greeting.

"I do," he replied as Nikki and Liz walked close enough that he didn't have to shout. "An unusual something, at that." He beckoned them around to the rear of the car. "Take a look at this bumper."

"It looks loose," Liz commented.

"It _is_ loose," the tech confirmed. "And not from an impact. It wasn't attached properly to the frame. It looks like whoever put this on either didn't know what they were doing or was in one hell of a hurry. And there's another piece to it," he added. "Something looked a little off, so I took paint from the bumper and from the body for comparison. See, to the naked eye, they appear to be the same. But when I tested them, the compositions came back different. This bumper was painted with a different paint than the rest of the car. I'm running tests on the metal to confirm, but I don't think this is the bumper the car came with."

"So a new bumper that was probably not attached by a professional..."

"It's possible, of course, that your victim was just a do-it-yourselfer, but I doubt it. There are almost no wear marks from the bumper rubbing back and forth; if she'd been driving it around like that, there would be. If I had to guess, I'd say that whoever dumped the car replaced the bumper for some reason. I'm having it pulled, I'll look for anything we can use to track it."

xxxxxxxxx

"So they took off the existing bumper," Cho effectively paraphrased the report the team had just been given. "Why?"

It wasn't really a question meant for the room, but Alex answered anyway. "There has to have been a good reason - good for them, anyway. Replacing a bumper is no easy task, it would've taken quite a bit of time and effort." Several people shot glances at her, and she blushed slightly. "Hey, everyone needs a hobby."

"So, they probably assumed someone would find the car eventually," Lisbon said after a moment. "At the very least, they knew it was a possibility. So there was something about the bumper that they wanted to make sure we didn't see, to the point of going to all that trouble."

"Something they couldn't wash off," Colby added. "The tech at the scene said the car looked like it had been scrubbed clean, inside and out. So that would exclude fingerprints, blood -"

"Paint," Don said suddenly, drawing everyone's attention. "Specifically, paint transfer from another car."

"You're thinking she was hit from behind?" Lisbon asked.

"Sure. We've seen it before, it's probably the easiest way to catch someone with their guard down and at a place of the suspect's choosing. Victim gets rear-ended, pulls over to do the whole insurance thing, doesn't realize anything's amiss until it's too late."

Alex's attention was drawn away from Don by the sound of fingers tapping rhythmically on the table behind her. Zach's fingers, she realized after a moment, moving back and forth across the surface as he sat with an expression of such deep contemplation that she was sure he didn't even realize what his hand was doing. "Something you want to share with the class, Detective?"

"I'm just thinking," Zach began slowly. "Don makes a good point about being able to choose the place along Carolyn's route. Even in New York, there are streets that wouldn't have much traffic. But there weren't any areas like that on John' trip. Anywhere they tried to take him, there would have been a witness to any kind of struggle, and I can't imagine an FBI agent going down without one."

"He's right." That was Don. "McNeil's specialty was tech, but he was no slouch on the range or in hand-to-hand. I can't imagine anyone taking him down quickly and quietly enough for no one to notice."

"If someone had a weapon on him -" Jane began.

"Spoken like a true civilian," Lisbon interrupted teasingly. "Agents are trained to get out of that exact situation. A gun to the head might be an exception, but that's much too visible for this scenario."

"Unless he couldn't fight back," Alex suggested. "What if he was drugged?"

Zach turned towards her. "What are you thinking?"

"My partner and I worked a case about ten years ago. Guy was murdered in a subway in full view of at least a dozen people, and no one saw anything - for real, not the intentional blind eye. Turned out, his killer had 'bumped' into him and used that moment to inject him with a fatal drug. What if someone 'bumped' McNeil with some kind of tranquilizer?"

Liz was nodding slowly. "I see where you're going. Not something that would knock him out - too likely someone would remember a guy passing out in the middle of the sidewalk - but there are drugs out there that would make someone pliable, compliant. His abductor could have dosed him and then walked him right into his own kidnapping."

"No struggle, so nothing to catch anyone's attention," Nikki finished. "We'd never prove it in court, but it's a place to start."

"We need to two-track this," Alex said authoritatively, though she was working a few silent calculations of her own. "Wylie, you keep working on what you're working on - same'll go for Charlie, those are the exceptions. Cho, from here on out you're lead on McNeil's kidnapping; Jane, Lisbon, Liz, Nikki, you'll be with Cho. The rest of you are with me, we'll focus on Barek. Full information sharing, but I don't want any details being missed because everyone's looking at too big a picture. Let's get to work."

 **In case anyone's wondering about the two groups and why Alex split them the way she did, the idea that she's calculating in the last paragraph is how to keep the groups roughly equal in ability. So, for example, she puts Jane in one group and Zach in the other so that each group would have someone with people-reading skills.**

 **I'm aware that it's a little odd that I've been primarily referring to the LA team by first names and the Texas team by last names (except once in a while when Alex is giving orders), but I'm just following the lead of the shows; in _Numb3rs_ , the agents use first names to refer to each other, while in _The Mentalist_ , they all go by last names, even off duty for the most part.**

 **Crowd dynamic is another tool that Charlie uses in _Brutus_. The subway murder that Alex mentions occurs in the CI episode _Great Barrier_ , and is committed by an accomplice of drug aficionado Nicole Wallace.  
**

 **Please review!**


	7. Night Respite

**Thought Police**

 **Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, it's not mine. This story is on an AU track.

 **Chapter 7: Night Respite  
**

"I didn't expect you home."

Alex smiled, a teasing glint lighting her eyes. "Is that any way to greet your fiancee?"

Bobby laughed, pulling her into his arms and laying a kiss on her lips. "Don't get me wrong, it's a wonderful surprise. But it _is_ a surprise, all the same."

"It's going to be a short night and a very early morning," she admitted. "But I didn't want to start off leading this group with a possible expectation of working all night. Most of the team are from out of town and still fighting jet-lag, and Zach and Serena are both the only parent at home for their respective kids."

"Hey," he said gently, "you don't have to explain yourself to me, remember?"

"I know." She sighed, slumping down on the couch. "I just - rationally, I know that there's nothing more to be done tonight. But I can't help the feeling that every minute I'm not working on this case is a lost opportunity. That even if I had a reason to send everyone else home or to their hotel, _I_ should've stayed. I would've stayed," she added, "but one of the other agents said that if I was going to insist that everyone else needed a break, I ought to take my own advice."

"I agree with this other agent," he said as he sat down next to her, pulling her head to rest on his shoulder. "Between worrying about Carolyn and getting up with Sarah, you've probably had less sleep this past week than anyone on your team."

As if on cue, a wail floated down from the hall containing the bedrooms. Alex started to rise instinctively, but Bobby laid a gentle hand on her shoulder to stop her. "You're tired. Sit. I'll get her."

True to his word, Bobby was gone only a moment before he returned, their infant cradled in his arms, expertly handing her off to Alex. The blonde gently traced her daughter's face with a finger, marveling for the hundredth time at seeing her eyes in the little face, seeing her fiance's curls adorning the baby's head. She looked up just in time to see Bobby smiling warmly at her. "What?"

"It's just nice to see you like this. You're so much more relaxed than you were when you walked through the door."

"Yeah, well -" she smiled back, gently tickling Sarah's stomach and making her laugh in delight, "maybe I just needed some baby therapy."

He wrapped his arm around her, kissing the top of her head. "No better kind," he agreed.

xxxxxxxxx

" _Hello, you've reached Don and Robin, we're not available right now, please leave a message_."

The agent cringed slightly at the sound of his own recorded message on the answering machine. _Not the voice I wanted to hear at all._ "Robin, it's Don," he began, trying to keep the tremor out of his voice. "I just...I just want to talk. Call me back, baby. Please. I love you."

"She could be working late," Charlie suggested weakly as his brother stowed his cell phone.

"Right. Working late and not answering her cell. Or checking her messages, because God knows she's got dozens she hasn't answered. Come on, Charlie, try living in the real world for a change."

"'Snap out of my precious bubble', right?" he retorted bitterly.

Don winced, hearing his own words from years earlier thrown back in his face. "That's not what I meant -"

"No? Maybe you didn't mean to use those exact words, but you've only been giving me variations on that lecture for my entire adult life. Only right now, the only thing I'm doing is trying to help! Maybe this time, _you're_ the one who needs to snap out of it!"

"Snap out of...what, exactly? Unlike some people in this room, I don't check out of the world when things get tough! Yeah, maybe I've had a shitty month, but I'm still getting done what I need to get done! I'm not locked in a garage somewhere looking for a solution that doesn't exist!"

To Don's surprise, Charlie didn't yell back. Silence reigned for a moment, and when the younger man spoke, it was in a calm, controlled tone. "No, you're right. Look, you said once that I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't then, but I think - I think I do now. I was trying to escape."

"Yeah, well, good for you. You finally figured it out."

"The thing is, I don't think you know what _you're_ doing right now. You're angry at the world, but there's nowhere to aim all that anger, so instead you're taking it out on me." He reached over and gave his brother's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Don, if I thought for a second that yelling at me was going to help, I'd stand here and be a target, all night if I had to. But this...this is no more useful than P vs NP. It's just another way of trying to avoid the pain."

A sound escaped Don's throat that might have been a chuckle, and he turned to look at his brother. "Since when did you become my shrink?"

Charlie shook his head. "Not a shrink. Just a Don Eppes expert."

"What's the difference?"

Charlie laughed lightly, but it didn't last. "Don, if you want to talk..."

"What's to talk about? My life's nearly in ruins, my wife's refusing to return my phone calls - just another day in the life of Don Eppes."

"Right." Charlie sighed, sitting back down on the hotel bed. "If you change your mind, you know where to find me."

xxxxxxxxx

"And how are _you_ holding up?"

Lisbon smiled as she laid back against the pillows, immediately aware of the reason for her husband's unusual emphasis on that one word. "We're doing just fine. Although," she admitted, "we may need to get some new pants when we get back to Austin. Baby Jane's taking up more room every day." A shocked, almost pained look crossed his face, alarming her. "What? What did I say?"

"Baby Jane," he whispered. "That's what Angela called Charlotte before we knew she was going to be a girl."

"I'm sorry," she whispered back. "I'll think of something else."

"No," he contradicted. "Don't. I'm not unhappy about it, I just -" he swallowed hard. "After I lost them, I thought I'd lost my one chance at happiness. This - laying here, next to my wife, talking about our child inside her - I would've said it was impossible. At first because I couldn't imagine falling in love again. Then because I fell for a woman I was sure could never love me back." He ran his fingers through her dark hair, cupping her cheek in the process. "What I didn't tell you on the plane was just how long I've loved you for."

"How long?"

"I don't know, exactly," he admitted. "I think - I think I started to feel it when I saw you with the father of that teenage girl who was drowned, the one who I could tell reminded you of you. But I knew it for sure when that sheriff, Hardy, pointed the gun at you. Just minutes earlier, I'd admitted for the world to hear that catching Red John meant more to me than my own life, and I meant it. But in that moment, when Hardy was going to kill you, I realized that catching Red John meant less to me than _your_ life." He pressed a long, lingering kiss to her lips. "I'd lost one woman I loved to him, I couldn't lose another."

She gently pulled him down on the bed beside her. "Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"Where do you want me to start? I didn't think you could ever love me back. I didn't think I deserved happiness, not after my own selfishness caused so much pain. I didn't want to commit to anyone new until I'd avenged my first family. What does it matter? I didn't, and then I did."

"Your timing could've been a little better."

"I thought it was just about perfect."

She lightly cuffed the back of his head before pulling him against her. "Come here, you goofball."

xxxxxxxxx

"What's eating you?"

Liz gave a soft chuckle which turned into a sigh, sitting down on the bed. "That obvious, huh?"

Nikki smiled. "Girl, please. I think I know by now when you're brooding."

"It's Don. I'm worried about him."

"Y'know," Nikki teased, "for an ex -"

"Don't say it," Liz groaned. "And you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," she relented. "You're worried he's gonna go all obsessive again."

"We've seen it before. He did it on the Duryea case, he did it on the Buck Winters case. And this was before your time, but when we thought Colby was a traitor, he sat in the media room watching the interrogation over and over for hours on end. If he had actually been guilty, I'm not sure Don ever would've gotten over it."

"He doesn't seem to be doing that, though," the junior agent remarked.

"Yet. But this case has all of the pieces that lead him down that road. A personal connection, specifically of a type that could make him feel responsible -"

"Like the missing people being members of a team he led."

"Exactly. Add to that a case with no easy answer and major stress in his personal life, and you get the perfect recipe for one of Don's obsessions."

"Except," Nikki pointed out, "he's not leading the team this time. He and the other team leader decided to put Lieutenant Eames in charge."

"True," Liz admitted. "You think she'll keep him out of his head?"

"That's my sense of it, anyway. I mean, you know him better than I do, but from what I've seen, the best way to get him out of that funk is to give him something to do. In the past, it's been circumstance that gave him that, but in this case, I think being assigned a specific task would serve the same purpose. And the Lieutenant is more than capable of that; look how she handled all twelve of us without missing a step."

Liz grinned at her friend and, for the moment, roommate. "You admire her."

"Damn straight. She's a kick-ass woman who gets the job done, and still manages to do it without trampling people. When I get my own team, that's the kind of boss I want to be."

"When?" Liz teased, feeling the knot of anxiety around her stomach loosen the more they talked. "Please. With your track record it's more like _if_ ; and a big if, at that."

Nikki threw a pillow at her. "Shut up."

xxxxxxxxx

"Are you okay?"

Zach looked down into the face of the little girl who had so captured his heart the year before. "I'm okay," he assured her.

She bit her lip, considering. "You don't _look_ okay," she said after a moment. "You look sad."

That drew a smile from him. _My little profiler._ "I guess I am a little bit, but it's nothing for you to worry about."

"Daaaad," she protested, drawing out the word. "I'm not a baby. You don't have to hide things from me."

Despite the lightness of her statement, he felt tears well up behind his eyes. _No, she's not. And not just because of her age. She's not even ten, and she's seen more than anyone should._ Out loud, he said only, "I saw a friend today that I haven't seen in a long time."

She considered this. "But shouldn't that make you happy?"

"Perceptive as always." He hugged her. "And yes, it does. But I haven't seen him since - since before you were born, little girl," he said, tousling her hair affectionately. "It makes me realize how much I've missed. Huge things happened in his life, and until today I didn't know about any of it. And I'm sure he'd say the same for me."

There was more, but he couldn't say it, even to Andrea. Bringing up his own older brother would only hurt her. Thankfully, she didn't press. He changed the subject before she could pick up on the fact he was hiding something. "And how are _you_ doing?"

She leaned her head against his shoulder, burrowing deeper into his arms. "I'm okay now. I'm sorry."

"Don't, Andrea. It's not your fault." He rubbed her back gently.

"I just don't understand," she said after a moment. "I thought I was allowed to go out of the lunchroom if I need to. Why did the teacher stop me?"

"Because -" he struggled for an explanation that would make sense to her, and one that didn't point fingers as he was so tempted to do. "Because not everyone understands that you have special rules," he said finally. "Teachers are used to having one set of rules for everybody. Sometimes it takes them awhile to get used to the idea that that's not always how it works."

He kept his voice calm, but underneath he was seething. He could've easily predicted that being blocked from leaving a room, especially one she was trying to leave in the first place because she was overstimulated, would trigger the lingering effects of the horror she'd suffered. He _had_ anticipated it, in fact, which was why he'd made sure that it was in her plan that exactly that should never happen. But still, he seemed to get a call every few weeks telling him that she'd had a problem, invariably related to something that wasn't supposed to have happened. "Listen," he continued, "I'll schedule a meeting to talk to your principal and the guidance counselor as soon as possible, okay? Will you be all right until then?"

"I'll be okay."

He shifted her in his arms so he could look her in the eyes. "Andrea, listen to me. If you ever don't feel like it's okay, if you don't feel safe, you can _always_ call for someone to come get you, okay? Always."

"Okay," she agreed. "I love you, Dad."

And no matter how many times he heard it, that never failed to melt his heart into a puddle. "I love you too."

 **A little heavier on the fluff and lighter on the plot than some of the other chapters, but some of this will be important to the story to some degree, and I liked the idea of getting a "status check" on the characters.**

 **For those who don't know _The Mentalist_ , a huge piece of the premise of the series is that Jane's first wife and daughter were slaughtered by a serial killer (what led him to start working with the police). The issue between Don and his wife Robin, however, is my own creation and is deliberately ambiguous - it'll piece together in due time.**

 **The cases that Liz mentions where Don went into obsessive mode are (in order of mention) _Angels and Devils_ , _Arrow of Time_ , and _Trust Metric._ For those trying to keep up, in the latter episode, Colby deliberately tricked everyone including the team into believing he was a traitor in order to flush out a real one.**

 **The situation with Andrea is something that is unfortunately common for children with special needs in public schools; having to struggle to obtain accommodations only to have them ignored anyway. I put Andrea (who would likely have some form of PTSD after the events of _Little Girl Lost_ ) into that narrative in order to set up a piece of the story, but it is very much based in real life. **

**Please review!**


	8. We've Got Bigger Problems

**Thought Police**

 **Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, it's not mine. This story is on an AU track.

 **Chapter 8:**

"Rough night?" Serena asked her partner in an undertone.

"What -" he was interrupted by a yawn. "What makes you say that?"

"You look more tired than the jet-lag brigade over there." She smiled, indicating the LA team, who did in fact look half-asleep. "What happened? Anything to do with that call from yesterday?"

" _Everything_ to do with the call," he said wearily. "Andrea had multiple nightmares last night. Every time it seems like she's going to be okay, something like this happens and pushes her back into that place." He sighed. "It's to the point where I'm considering pulling her out, finding another school. What?" He added at Serena's clear surprise. "You think that's a little drastic?"

"Under normal circumstances, absolutely. But in your case...it seems like you've tried everything else. I was just surprised to hear that it had gotten to that point. But your biggest issue is going to be making sure the issue doesn't repeat at a new location."

He sighed audibly, burying his face in his hands. "Tell me about it."

Noticing something, she reached over and tapped him on the shoulder. "I'll tell you later," she teased gently. "Looks like something's happening."

The three team leaders were walking in, all laden down with cups bearing the logo of the coffee shop down the block, which they began distributing to their respective teams. Alex walked over to the two New York detectives. "I think I remembered right," she said, setting the tray down on the edge of the twin desks. "Serena, skim milk, no sugar, Zach, black, double-sweet. Right?"

They both nodded, reaching eagerly for the cups. The senior detective immediately took a long drink of his. "Thanks. You didn't have to."

"It's no problem. Besides," she added with a slight smirk, "Don and Cho both asked me where to make a coffee run for their teams, what with everyone still adjusting to the time difference. I couldn't well be shown up, now could I?"

"Looks like it was probably necessary," Serena commented. "Most of the LA team looked like they were about to fall asleep at the table."

"Only most?" Alex asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, well, Charlie was full speed ahead the moment he walked in the door. He must have some kind of internal energy reserve."

"That would certainly explain a few things." Don had walked up unnoticed behind Alex. "This isn't new. I've seen him go at problems for days straight."

"And you bought him a coffee?"

He shrugged, grinning. "Hey, Charlie's an adult, he can take care of himself." He considered this for a moment. "Usually. Besides, he'd never let me live it down if I 'forgot' him in the coffee run." He took a mouthful of his own drink. "Good call on the shop, though, Alex. This is some killer coffee."

She smiled. "Hey, you pull enough all-nighters and early mornings in this office, you learn where the best coffee within walking distance is." But her attention was quickly diverted by the file in his other hand. "What've you got?"

"Preliminary lab report on the car." He passed the document to her. "It confirms what we already suspected. The composition of the bumper doesn't match the composition of the rest of the body. They're going over the wheel wells and undercarriage, looking for anything that might tell them where the car might've pulled off the road, either during the kidnapping or when it was being repaired."

"Okay, good, but we're not waiting for lab results. We need to step up our game if we don't want this thing getting too far ahead of us. Don, did you record interrogations from the old case?"

"Of course. You want the recordings?"

"As soon as humanly possible. Zach, I'd like you to have a look at those. Pull Jane to help you. We need to know more about these people and this organization if we're going to have any hope of guessing what they'll do next."

He nodded. "Understood."

"Don, are you able to pull the case file? I'd like to go over it, pick it apart if necessary, to look for anything that might help us here and now. I'd like you to work with me on that, you're the only one we have who knows this case inside out. Cho!" she called out to the Austin lead agent as he passed by. "How's Wylie coming with the computer trace?"

"Not a lot to go on as yet," he replied. "Eppes, you weren't kidding when you said you collapsed this organization. There's still chatter, of course, but everything we've found is all talk and no action."

"Which makes sense," Zach put in. "Those are the people who were able to stay out of prison four years ago, the ones who didn't have anything to do with the violent part of the plan."

Cho nodded. "Wylie thinks there might be more hardcore stuff out there somewhere, but he says it'd be much harder to find - actually, he used some technical lingo I couldn't follow, so I just nodded along, but that was the gist of it."

Don exchanged a quick smile with Colby, who had just come up beside him. "We're familiar, believe me."

"In any case, he's looking, but it's slow going. From what I understood, he doesn't know where to start looking because everything's so deeply buried."

"You know what, have him talk to Charlie," Don suggested. "He might have an idea."

"Because he's not doing enough work," Alex chuckled.

She'd meant it as a joke, but it clearly brought Don up short. "Okay," he said after a moment. "I'll amend that. Have him _ask_ Charlie if he's got the time. Alex is right, he's already working on multiple things for us. I'm sure he'll get to it when he gets a chance."

"In the meantime," Alex added, "have Wylie check what he's found so far for anyone local who's still posting. The more reluctant to get on board with the violent segment, the better. Colby, Serena, you're on the car, but in the meantime, if Wylie finds anyone, track them down and see if they'll talk to you. Key word is insight. We need as much as we can get, from as many sources as we can get."

"Copy that," Colby replied as Serena nodded.

Don was already paging through the contacts on his phone, stopping the rapid button-pushing only when he had apparently found what he was looking for. "Give me a minute." He stepped into a nearby hallway, phone already against his ear.

"I have a strong feeling we'll have the file within, oh, an hour or so at the most," Colby commented with a small smile.

"Hope so," Alex replied a little skeptically. "FBI playing hardball on that kind of thing wouldn't be unprecedented - no offense, Granger," she added quickly. "You guys in the field are usually pretty cool. It's the pencil pushers and glory hogs who bother me."

Her tone seemed light, but Zach couldn't help but notice that there was a note of anger under it that couldn't be hidden. But she didn't seem inclined to discuss it, so he let it drop as she continued. "Of course, that said, Don _was_ lead agent on the matter. That's got to count for something. They're basically his files, right?"

xxxxxxxxx

"So. Profiling, huh?"

Zach raised an eyebrow slightly. "You don't have to make it sound like a four-letter word."

The blonde man shrugged. "Never put much stock in the whole idea myself. People who think they can distill the human condition down to a series of predictable values, while at the same time trying to pretend they can't possibly be swayed by such an illogical thing as emotion."

Again the raised eyebrow. "That's an...awfully specific generalization." He considered for a moment. "I'm going to say - you're thinking of someone specific. A profiler you met once, probably worked with given your knowledge of this person's approach to a case. Someone who got under your skin." He smiled at Jane's shocked expression. "See? Profiling."

"More like being on the other side of the microscope," the consultant remarked. "It's a little weird from this angle when you're not used to it."

"Sorry. I don't usually rattle off my observations to the person I'm observing, I just wanted to make a point. Which you just finished making for me, by the way. All Alex wants us to do is what you do anyway; be the one looking through the microscope."

"Okay." Jane's confident smile was back. "Point well taken."

"Oh, by the way," Zach added, "you want weird, try being profiled by a nine-year-old. My daughter's been bitten by the profiling bug. Let's just say I've gotten very used to being on the other side."

"Hm." Jane looked upset, almost pained, for a moment, but whatever was bothering him was quickly pushed aside. "She any good?"

"Andrea? Oh, yeah, she's good. I've known professionals with less intuition. I swear sometimes it's like she's looking right into my soul. It's all just observation now, of course, she _is_ only nine."

"But you think you've got the next generation Nichols profiler on your hands."

He shouldn't have been surprised, he reasoned, that Jane could read him as easily as he could read Jane. "The thought's crossed my mind," he admitted, "but only if that's what she wants. I've been on the other side of this; my parents were sure I'd follow in their footsteps, and it caused a lot of pain and heartache all around when I decided that wasn't what I wanted out of my life. The last thing I want is to do that to my own child."

A knock on the door forestalled any further discussion, and they turned to see Alex holding a USB drive. "First set of interview videos. I'll get you Carolyn's profile notes once we have the full file too; let me know what you come up with."

xxxxxxxxx

"I didn't do anything!" the man protested as he was led into the interrogation room. "Nothing except exercise my constitutionally-protected right to free speech!"

"Really?" Colby said skeptically as he directed the man into a chair. "Why'd you run, then?"

"I know how you people operate," he said indignantly. "As far as you're concerned, I'm guilty by association. Why else would I be here?"

"Oh, I don't know. But if I had to guess, I'd say it might have something to do with you deliberately smacking Detective Stevens with a door so you could have a head start."

"Which was a really stupid move," the detective in question added as she stepped into the room behind them. "We just wanted to chat with you. If you'd cooperated, we could be having this conversation in the comfort of your living room."

"Why should I believe that?"

"Because, recent events notwithstanding, you're smart," Serena replied, sitting down across from him. "We know that, Jake. And you know that violence isn't the answer. That's why you're walking around free when others went to prison."

"But you see," Colby added, picking up the line of questioning without a second's hesitation, playing a well-rehearsed game, "most of the people you associated with, they still haven't learned that lesson. Even after they saw their friends arrested and convicted, they still think violent action is the way to go."

"I know," he admitted. "I know."

"So talk to us," Serena encouraged. "Look, we may not agree with what you have to say, but we're not interested in hounding you over that. All we want to do is keep anyone from getting hurt. You want that too, don't you?"

"Yes," Jake admitted. "God, yes. Look, I don't like the way our government spends money. I don't like the idea of lazy people coasting along on the tax dollars of hardworking Americans. I connected with a group of like-minded people on the Internet. You know, there were other people in that group who thought like me, who wanted to work through the elections and the legislatures. But then some people started talking about violence, about committing some kind of massive operation that 'America would never forget'. I guess that sounded sexier than 'elect politicians who share our values' because the next thing I knew, everyone was buzzing about bombings, and anyone who said that it was a bad idea was ignored or worse."

"Worse?" Colby prompted

"Oh, you know, insults, flaming. One guy was threatened with doxxing, but I don't think it ever actually happened. We were locked out from some of the discussions, maybe because we were annoying or maybe because they were afraid we'd go to the cops, I don't know, but I told the feds when they came knocking in 2010 that I never saw anything more than the initial discussion regarding the bombings."

"We know that too," Serena assured him. "So let's go over what you do know. I think we've well established you don't like cops."

"I used to like them fine," he objected. "Right up until I was interrogated by the Feds for ten hours straight because they refused to believe I had anything to do with the bombs. Like I said, guilt by association."

"What about the group?" Colby continued as if he hadn't heard the man's last remark. "What was their feeling about law enforcement?"

He shrugged. "What's anybody's feeling about law enforcement? Didn't love them, didn't hate them. Specific incidents got discussed from time to time, that's about as in-depth as it ever got. I mean, I'm sure the ones doing illegal things didn't want the cops involved, but like I keep saying, that wasn't me."

"Specific incidents," Serena repeated. "So cops who did things you didn't agree with -"

"Same as any civilian who did things we didn't agree with."

"And some people were willing, even eager, to take violent action against civilians they didn't like," Colby said grimly, pushing a pad of paper towards Jake. "We need names. And any other identifying information you can remember."

xxxxxxxxx

"Wow." Alex stared down at the list. "Just how many people were involved with this?"

"A lot. The group had been collecting members for years before anyone talked bombs; it gave them a chance to whip up a frenzy first. I think we made something like sixty arrests across the country."

"'Something like sixty'?" Alex repeated disbelievingly. "Come on, Eppes, I know your type. I bet you could give me the exact number in your sleep."

He blushed slightly. "Yeah, well - we made sixty-two arrests. Happy?"

"Ecstatic," she said wryly. "But I bet you were happier when you first heard it."

"I admit, it's always nice when your hard work pays off. But it took us aback a bit - me and Carolyn especially - how many of them there were to arrest. Especially given how scattered they were. Just the idea that so many people could be radicalized, over the internet no less. And the sixty-two were only the ones with enough connections to arrest. We always suspected there might be more who were like-minded enough to think of trying something but that we couldn't quite connect in. We hoped that the arrests would be enough to deter them, but deep down we worried that it wouldn't. Looks like we were probably right to worry," he added, "though for once I wouldn't have minded being wrong."

"Speaking of you being wrong," she teased, "what was the deal with that whole thing about Charlie earlier? You know I was kidding, right?"

"I know," he assured her. "But you weren't wrong. I've made that mistake before, you know, you'd think I'd be able to avoid it by now."

"Mistake?"

"Oh, you know, forgetting that my little brother is only human," he admitted with a laugh. "You have to understand, some of the things he's pulled off for us - I would've thought it wasn't possible if I hadn't seen it. You see that enough times, you start to think he can do anything. Hell, I'm not entirely convinced he can't. But the downside of that is that it's easy to get caught up in what he can do and forget that there's a person behind it all. As I said, I've done it before; piled five things on him at once, or tried to demand that he drop everything and work on what I needed, regardless of what he had going on or who else might be counting on him. I've been called out on it enough times, I try not to let it happen, but it's so easy to fall back into that bad habit if I'm not careful."

"I find it hard to believe you could ever really forget about Charlie as an individual," she commented. "You two seem close. Not just in a work sense, I mean. Is it just the two of you, then?"

"Siblings, you mean? Yeah, just me and Charlie. Which is probably a good thing. The two of us pushed our parents to the limit as it was." He let out a soft laugh, remembering. "What about you? You have siblings?"

"Oh, yeah. We're the quintessential big Irish Catholic family; I have three brothers and a sister."

"Wow," Don said before he could stop himself. "That's...a lot."

But Alex only smiled. "You're telling me. I grew up with that brigade. I was the fourth and my little brother was born when I was a toddler, so I've been one of five since I can remember." She leaned in closer, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "I'm Dad's favorite, but don't tell anyone."

That drew another laugh from Don. "Oh, I see what _your_ family was like. You close now?"

She shrugged. "We get along well enough, but I wouldn't say we're especially close. I'm a lot closer to my sister than my brothers, but I'm still not sure we'd be able to manage working together like you two do; we just don't handle each other that well. I'm godmother to her son, and we've had some spectacular blow-ups just over our different ideas of how to care for him."

"It's not exactly smooth sailing between Charlie and me either, you know. Despite what it might look like."

"I'm a realist," she countered. "It's not like I think it's all sunshine and rainbows all the time, but you've clearly got an arrangement that works."

"Which doesn't by any stretch of the imagination mean we don't fight," he replied. "You of all people probably know, sibling dynamics that start up in childhood don't just vanish once people become adults, and Charlie and I have a weird one."

"Weird how? If you don't mind my asking."

"I don't. Well, Charlie's five years younger than me, so right away that's a different kind of relationship than siblings who are closer in age. But where it really started to get complicated - you know that Charlie's a math professor, I mentioned that. What I didn't mention is that he's a prodigy. His talent for math started showing up before he was four years old; he was doing college-level work before he started kindergarten. I think an old friend of mine said it best; it put an edge on the whole sibling rivalry thing. I was constantly feeling like my brother got all the attention, and he - " Don paused, sighing deeply. "Honestly, I think he was just confused as much as anything. All of a sudden, he was being treated differently by everyone, and he was too young to fully understand why. In some ways, I think he spent so much time being a prodigy that he never really got a chance to be a kid. And that included the way that we interacted."

"Seems like you get along pretty well now," she commented.

"We've - we've 'achieved an equilibrium', as Charlie would say," he said with a soft chuckle. "I love Charlie, I see him all the time, and we've definitely improved our communication. Doesn't mean we don't lock horns every so often."

Alex chuckled. "Don, that's the nature of humanity. I had the same partner for eleven years, we were so close we could practically read each other's minds, and we still locked horns from time to time."

He smiled. "And on that note, what do you say we get back to work?"

She smiled back. "I think that sounds like an excellent idea."

 **I know, the assignments I gave some of the characters don't exactly match what they were assigned when the group was split, but that follows how it works in the series; nothing is ironclad, and people are assigned and reassigned where they're most needed. A good example of this comes from the Numb3rs episode _Manhunt_ , where the team is technically on two tracks but in practice they all end up switching back and forth between the two, and working together on pieces that involve both tracks.**

 **The profiler that Jane tangles with is from the episode _Bloodhounds_ , and she does have a much more technical view of the world than the profilers on either Numb3rs or the Law & Order 'verse.**

 **Please review!**


	9. One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

**Thought Police**

 **Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, it's not mine. This story is on an AU track.

 **Chapter 9: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back  
**

"Don! Don, I got something!"

Both Don and Alex turned so quickly from the document they were examining that if it hadn't been for the substantial height difference, they likely would have ended up bumping heads. "What is it, Charlie?" they asked at nearly the same moment.

The mathematician couldn't help but smile at the reactions. "I applied my crowd dynamics program to the subway footage, while at the same time running the sketch you gave me through the facial recognition system I was telling Alex about. Then I used an algorithm to compare the results from each of those searches, looking for people who might be connected to each other in some way, and I got these two." He opened the folder he'd been holding, revealing photographs of two men. "Subject one is an eighty-seven percent match to the witness sketch Alex provided, and subject two is a ninety-three percent match to an individual who was behaving in the subway in such a way that he was probabilistically following Agent McNeil."

"And they're connected to each other?" Don pressed.

"Not directly," Charlie explained, "but my network analysis suggests that they almost certainly have a connection in common, likely someone in the level directly above them."

"That sounds like someone we should be talking to," Alex commented.

But Charlie shook his head. "Unfortunately, I haven't yet been able to identify that individual."

"But you just said -"

"I know what I said. But for the moment, this individual is...is a black hole."

"A what?" Alex asked, perplexed.

Beside her, Don laughed. "Now you know what I deal with," he said in a stage whisper.

"A black hole," Charlie repeated, mock-glowering at his brother. "A phenomenon which cannot in and of itself be observed, but can be inferred from its effects on the objects around it. In the same way, I can infer this individual's existence based on the effect he or she has on other individuals, but that doesn't mean I know, or even could guess, who this person is."

"Um, okay," she replied after a moment as she finally pieced together the mathematician's analogy. "Then let's get an APB out on these two guys for now. Charlie, did Wylie talk to you?"

"Yeah. I'll take a look, see if anything jumps out."

"Please do. And see what more you can do to fill in that network diagram, okay?"

xxxxxxxxx

"Any luck with finding our suspects?"

Colby shook his head. "Sorry, Don. The guy from the train station moved out of the address on file years ago, current whereabouts unknown. Liz and Nikki door-knocked the other guy, but there no sign of him, neighbors say he's cleared out. The ADA told Detective Stevens that we don't have enough for a warrant."

"The ADA's right," Alex admitted reluctantly. "We'd be hard-pressed to get a warrant even for the train station guy, and we have even less on this one. We can't even put him in proximity to Carolyn, only Mike, and that's in a public place. No judge is going to issue us a warrant based on that."

"We're circulating the APB to all NYPD precincts," Colby continued. "Top priority. And we're working on getting a list of known associates. Liz and Nikki are organizing unis to sit on the house in case he comes back for some reason, unlikely though that may be."

"Good work," Alex acknowledged. "Keep at it, I'm going to check on the profile. They've got to have _something_ by now."

She pushed open the door to the media room. Zach was sitting in front of a paused screen, so deeply engrossed in whatever it was he was writing on the notepad in his lap that he didn't even seem to notice the door opening. _Typical Zach, just like Bobby._ But what took her aback was that the NYPD detective was alone in the room.

"Zach." He didn't react, so she raised her voice slightly. "Zach. _Zach._ "

He looked up finally. "Oh. Hey, Alex. Sorry. How long have you been standing there?"

"Not long," she assured him. "Where's Jane?"

"Uh -" he glanced around the room, eyes landing on the clock. "I'm not sure. When he stepped out, I figured it was just for a minute, to use the bathroom or something. But, um, that was almost an hour ago. I guess I lost track of time."

"An _hour_?" she repeated. "What the hell has he been doing?" Zach only shrugged. "Never mind. Can you prepare a rundown of what you have so far while I find him?"

"Sure, no problem. Sorry I lost him."

"Not your fault. Jane's an adult, he shouldn't need a babysitter. Excuse me." She turned sharply on her heel, striding back out into the main room. "Has anyone seen Jane?"

Lisbon looked up, her lips twitching slightly as though she was struggling not to laugh. "Uh-oh. That phrase is never a good sign."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Sorry." The brunette agent still seemed more amused than anything else. "It means he wanders off like this every so often."

"Really. And you just...let him?"

"It's not something we encourage," Cho replied with his usual stoicism. "But it's kind of par for the course working with him. Every supervisor he's had has tried to bring him more into line. It doesn't change anything."

"Have you ever considered, I don't know, _not_ working with him?"

Cho and Lisbon exchanged a look. "Of course that's been a thought," she said after a moment. "But what he brings to the table -"

"I could get a consultant in here before the end of the day with all of the profiling skills and none of the drama." She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Look, I'm not interested in arguing methodology right now. We haven't got the time. Just - get him back here, would you?"

"Who? Me?"

Alex whirled on the blonde consultant. "Where the hell have you _been_?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, you know...around."

Her glare was ice, but it didn't seem to be affecting him. "Go help Detective Nichols," she snapped. "I want a full report in half an hour." She turned and walked away before he could reply.

"Jeez, Jane," Lisbon groaned out in what her husband still referred to as her 'boss voice', "could you at least _try_ not to antagonize the local officers?"

"Officers? As far as I can see, it's one uptight Lieutenant who has the problem."

"Jane!"

His lips curled in a mock pout. "Okay, fine. I'll behave. But I'm doing it for you, not for _her_."

She sighed. "I guess that's better than nothing, anyway. Now please go do what Lieutenant Eames asked, before you _do_ end up antagonizing the entire NYPD."

xxxxxxxxx

"I can tell you," Zach began, "that what we're dealing with is a form of radicalization. These people started with a fairly common idea in American culture; Jane said as much in the initial briefing; the base rhetoric is nothing we haven't heard before. What makes this group different is, as the very word 'extremism' suggests, they took that rhetoric to, well, the extreme."

"As far as we can tell," Jane added, "these people, or their predecessors, have been around for quite awhile. Thing is, they're scattered all over the place, one or two in a given community. Until recently, they had very few ways to connect with each other."

"Enter the internet." The NYPD detective picked the narrative back up. "Connecting people with similar ideals all over the globe. Unfortunately, that includes radicals. These people found each other and created their own little echo chamber. Every time a politician or news source said something that reinforced their view, they went into a frenzy over it."

"Let me guess," Don said wryly, "anything that didn't fit was disregarded?"

"Or ridiculed," Zach confirmed. "These people are true believers. On the arrest interview tapes, a few of them actually tried to debate their case with the agents."

"True believers," Alex repeated. "They can be the most dangerous of all."

He nodded. "Exactly. They don't know when to stop, and in some cases they've even lost their sense of self-preservation. Which means two things for us. One, we can't expect them to behave rationally, at least in the way that we would define it."

"That makes sense with what Colby and I got from the guy we interviewed," Serena put in. "Someone suggested a plan that most rational people would think is insane, and the majority of the group immediately jumped on board."

"What's the second piece?" Cho asked.

"The second piece is, we need to be extra-careful. As I said, for many of these people, self-preservation isn't a consideration. We already know they're willing to kill indiscriminately to make a point; we have to expect dirty tricks."

"Copy that," Don said grimly. "I'll make sure everyone knows to watch their own backs, and each others'."

"What does your profile tell us about finding these people?" Alex pressed.

"Nothing I can clearly parse out yet," Zach admitted, "but I'd like to work with Charlie on that, if that would be all right. I think that if we can combine his network analysis with Jane's and my profile of known group members, we may be able to pinpoint the most likely suspects. Once we're able to narrow our focus, it should make it easier to find the answers to your questions."

"Do it," Alex said immediately. "Let me know as soon as you have something."

xxxxxxxxx

"Please, baby. I know we can work this out. Just call me. Please." Don sat in silence for a long moment, as though instead of the silence of the voicemail box, he might somehow hear his wife's voice. "I love you, Robin."

He set the phone down, rubbing roughly at his eyes. He knew that he should be expecting this by now, but it didn't make it any easier every time his calls went to voicemail. Forcing a mask of composure he didn't feel, he stepped back out into the squad room where Nikki was waiting expectantly.

"Thought you were gonna be in there all day," she teased. When he didn't rise to the bait, she quickly became serious. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he lied unconvincingly. "Just tired."

It was clear to the junior detective that there was more going on than that, but she chose to let it drop. "In that case, I'm driving."

"Is that so?" he asked more lightly. "In case you've forgotten, I'm the boss."

"In case you've missed it," she shot back, "I've got the keys." She held the ring up triumphantly. "Come on. This sighting isn't going to investigate itself."

"Remind me why I'm taking you with me again?" he said as they stepped into an elevator.

"Because Lieutenant Eames said so. And I seem to recall a certain FBI agent agreeing that 'no one leaves the building alone' was probably a smart precaution."

"I know that. I'm just trying to figure out how I got stuck with _you_."

She shoved his shoulder gently. "Hey, you're the one who asked to go on this run. Liz and I were ready to take it."

"I know." He sighed. "But I'm the one who was responsible for these people's safety. I'm about to lose my mind just sitting in that office."

She smirked. "Too late for that."

He mock-glared at her as the elevator door opened. "Are you _sure_ I can't take Liz and leave you instead?"

She only rolled her eyes as she strode to the SUV and climbed into the driver's seat. "Don - get in the damn car."

He chuckled now, despite all that was weighing on his mind, as Nikki pulled the vehicle out onto the street. "No wonder you're still a _junior_ agent."

"Now _that_ 's hitting below the belt."

"Lesson of the day, Nikki. Don't start what you can't finish."

She glanced over at him. "Be careful, Don. I might take that as a challenge."

"Oh? Bring it on, Bentencourt. I don't think -"

But their banter was cut off abruptly as a crash sounded and the SUV rocked slightly from the force of an impact. Nikki gripped the wheel hard to keep from losing control. Don sighed. "As if I needed more problems."

But the junior agent was on high alert. "Don," she said tersely, "I don't think that was an accident."

Even as she said the words, the same pieces were coming together in his mind. He remembered clearly now what they'd been told about Carolyn's car. "Turn around," he told her sharply. "Let's get back to the station, _now_."

She twisted the wheel hard, turning the car into a sharp u-turn. But as she did, Don caught a glimpse through her window of a white box truck headed straight for them. "Nikki, look out!"

He felt the moment of impact more than he saw it, thrown forwards and sideways by the force of the collision. At the same moment, his entire field of vision was encapsulated by the rapidly expanding airbags. The screeching of tires and the crash of breaking glass filled his ears as the car slid sideways and finally shuddered to a stop.

As the airbag began to deflate, Don impatiently shoved the fabric aside. "Nikki!" he called out, only becoming more concerned when he got no reply. "Nikki?"

As he turned towards the driver's seat to look for her, it became clear that her side of the car had taken most of the damage. In the middle of the distorted metal and broken glass, he saw the junior agent, still belted into her seat, her head hanging limply forward. "Nikki!" He scrambled to undo his seatbelt, and was gratified when the clip released easily. He reached for her hand, feeling her wrist for a pulse.

To his incredible relief, he found one. But he had had only a moment to process this when he heard breaking glass behind him. Before he could react, a hand grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him backwards. He felt something sharp pierce the skin on his neck, and then everything went black.

 **And now Don's in trouble too. Which I'm sure is nothing that at least half my readers didn't expect.**

 **I had to have Jane misbehave just a little bit, it was completely unrealistic that he would behave himself the whole time!**

 **Please review!**


	10. When The Wheels Come Off

**Thought Police**

 **Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, it's not mine. This story is on an AU track.

 **Chapter 10: When The Wheels Come Off  
**

"Where on Earth are Don and Nikki?" Alex said a bit irritably. "They should've at least reported in by now."

"I can't raise them on the radio," Serena reported grimly. "There _is_ a chance it's nothing, though. I didn't notice until they'd left, they took the unit that's been giving us trouble lately. It wasn't supposed to be on the rack, but someone must've put it there by mistake."

The blonde Lieutenant sighed. "You could be right; I hope you are. But I'm not inclined to bank on that right now. If we do and we're wrong -"

"I understand," Serena replied, nodding. "We don't want to waste that time."

"Alex!" That was Captain Hannah, walking towards them in a hurry. "Is anyone on your team using a vehicle right now?"

An icy slick of fear began to form in her stomach. "Yes, I've got one team out. Why?"

"I've just gotten a report," he said briskly. "Car wreck a few blocks away from here involving one of our department SUVs. All of my people are accounted for."

"It's them," Alex whispered, stunned despite already having had a bad feeling. "Come on, Serena, let's go. Cho! Colby!" she shouted across the room. "You're coming too! Captain, text that location to me, would you? Thanks."

xxxxxxxxx

Two ambulances, a fire truck, and a patrol car were already on the scene when the sedan came screaming up to it, lights flashing. Alex slammed on the breaks with enough force to throw the occupants as far forward as their seatbelts would allow, but no one commented on the rough stop as they all scrambled from the vehicle, running towards the mangled frame of the SUV.

A uniformed officer beside the scene put up his hand to stop them. "Don't come any closer!"

"I'm Lieutenant Alex Eames," she replied sharply, showing her badge to the man. "Those are my people in that wreck!"

"I understand that, Lieutenant," he said evenly, "but we still can't have you back here. The fire department is already working on the scene; you guys need to stay out of the way."

Colby stepped up next to Alex, and it was clear he was uncharacteristically shaken. "Can you at least tell us what's happened?"

The officer looked at them for a long moment, taking in Colby's obvious concern. "All right," he said finally. "It appears the department SUV was struck on the rear bumper and left side. FDNY is removing the driver from the wreck now; she's injured but they're optimistic." Then something seemed to occur to him, and he turned back to Alex. "Wait. Did you say _people_?"

"That's right." The icy fear was back. "Two people."

"Ma'am," the officer said somberly, "when we arrived on the scene, there was only one occupant in the SUV."

Alex drew a deep breath. _Focus, Eames,_ she scolded herself sharply. _Now isn't the time to lose control_. "You indicated the driver was female, is that right?"

"Yes, ma'am. African-American female."

"Okay, her name is Nikki Bentencourt, and she's an FBI agent. The missing passenger - take this down - the missing passenger is Don Eppes, also an FBI agent. White male, about five-ten, brown eyes, dark brown hair, cropped short. Last seen wearing black slacks and a black polo shirt. Get an APB out right away. And cordon off the area as soon as EMS is clear; this is most likely a crime scene."

"I'll ride with Nikki," Colby offered. "If she's been out for this long, chances are she's lost any memory of the accident. It'll be good for her to see a familiar face when she wakes up, especially if she doesn't remember what happened."

"Go ahead," Alex acknowledged. "And keep an eye on her. The 'no one goes anywhere alone' rule still applies."

"Copy that."

Even as Colby returned the acknowledgement, the four officers could see the EMTs finally beginning to remove Nikki from the wreckage. Her black curls were visible for a moment over the top of the backboard, just before it was laid flat and carried carefully to a waiting stretcher. Colby made a beeline for her; this time, the officer didn't stop him. But Alex barely had a chance to acknowledge this before a new voice spoke from behind her. "What is going on?"

She turned abruptly. "Zach? What are you doing here?"

"Captain told us what was going on," the detective replied. "As soon as I heard how fast you ran out of there, I figured it had to be serious. So we ran over. Literally."

"Remind me later to tell you how stupid that was. Wait," she added a moment later, "who's _we_?"

" _DON_!"

The horrified scream answered Alex's question for her, even as Zach lunged to hold the mathematician back from the scene of the wreck. Charlie fought frantically with the taller man. "No! Let me go! Don! _Don!_ "

"Charlie!" Zach was yelling over his friend. "Charlie, you can't go in there!"

"Charlie." Alex joined in, laying a hand on his arm to get his attention. "Charlie, he's not here," she said when he had stilled and was no longer screaming. "There's nothing you can do. The only thing you'll accomplish is to contaminate the scene."

It was clear that the realization had been coming even before the Lieutenant had spoken. Charlie slowly went limp, prevented from falling to the ground only by Zach's grip on him. "No. Donnie, no." It was barely a whisper now as the mathematician began to cry. "No."

"Charlie," she began hesitantly, "we are going to do everything we can to find him."

But the words sounded hollow even to her own ears.

xxxxxxxxx

"Keep coordinating the searches," Alex ordered Lisbon briskly. "Step up everything we've been doing so far. We have evidence of foul play now; use it as leverage if you have to. And let me know as soon as Cho and Serena get back from the scene. Wylie, keep working on that internet trace. Have someone get you the number for Computer Crimes; you have my authorization to borrow personnel if you need them. Zach! Can you keep going on the network without Charlie?"

"I think so. I don't understand the math, but I've got some solid data to start following up on."

"Do it. Get as much done as you can on your own; meanwhile, I'll see if I can track down a consultant who can make sense of the numbers."

"You don't have to do that." Charlie stepped slowly into the room, eyes still red-rimmed but with a new look of determination on his face. "A new person will only have to waste time getting caught up. I can do it."

"Charlie," Zach asked gently, "are you sure?"

"I need this," the mathematician insisted. "I need to work. If there's any chance of finding him -"

"Okay," Zach replied after a moment. "I think you can save yourself that call, Lieutenant."

"Copy that. Liz! I need to see you for a second. Everyone else, keep doing what you've been doing. Except you, Jane," she added sharply to the consultant. " _You_ need to stay in this building unless you're going out into the field with someone. Try to be useful, and if you can't, at least stay out of the way."

Jane whistled under his breath, but Alex decided to ignore him, instead leading Liz into one of the small observation rooms. The LA agent looked a bit shaken, despite her attempts to maintain a calm facade. Alex laid a gentle hand on her arm. "I know this is hard," she began softly. "Can you hang in there?"

"You bet I can."

"Good. I'll let you get back to it in a minute; I just need your help first. You're the only one here - besides Charlie, and he's a mess - who really knows Don."

"You need help with the notifications," she said grimly.

"Don't worry, I'll do them." She knew how hard of a job that was; it was the last thing she wanted to delegate, especially to someone who was already upset. "I just need information. Who to contact, and how."

"Right. Well, apart from Charlie, it would just be Alan and Robin - Don's wife and father. I'm sure I have both numbers saved somewhere; if not, the home office will have them on file."

"I appreciate it. Anything I should know?"

"Only what you probably already know. This is just about their worst fear come true."

xxxxxxxxx

" _Message deleted. Next message._ "

"How many of those is he going to leave?" Robin mumbled to herself, a mixture of irritation and guilt welling up inside her. But all of that was erased in a moment as an unfamiliar voice came over the line. " _Ms. Brooks, my name is Alex Eames with the New York Police Department. I'm calling regarding your husband, Don Eppes. It's urgent that you call me back as soon as possible._ "

Robin sat numbly, almost missing her chair. For a fraction of a second, the thought crossed her mind that it might be some sort of trick, an attempt by Don to force her hand in returning his calls. But she dismissed the idea just as quickly. She knew her husband, knew that no matter how desperate he got, he'd never stoop to such a tactic. She felt shame for even considering the possibility.

Worry churning in her stomach, she replayed the message so she could take down the number. Then, with a shaking hand, she dialed.

The phone rang twice, and then a voice answered. " _Eames_."

"Alex Eames?"

" _Yes. Who's this?_ "

"My name is Robin Brooks. My husband is Agent Don Eppes. You said you had something urgent to tell me?"

xxxxxxxxx

"Look at this," Cho commented. "It looks like they were hit once from behind, and then at least once in the driver's door."

"What I can't make sense of," the crime scene tech replied, "is the final position. If they were driving in the direction you indicated, which is supported by the debris we found, I can't figure out how the car ended up at the angle that it did. It's not consistent with the impact."

"Unless they _weren't_ going that way anymore," Serena suggested after a moment's consideration. "It looks like what came off first was pieces of the bumper. So they're driving that way, and they get hit from behind."

"But Don and Nikki aren't fooled." Cho was beginning to understand her theory. "They know, just like we do, that it's as likely as not to be a deliberate tactic, not an accident."

"So they know, or at least suspect, that they've been targeted," Serena said half to herself. "When a person thinks they're in danger, their instinct is usually to...get to somewhere safe." Her head snapped up, eyes locking onto the tech. "If they were hit somewhere along the trajectory of a U-turn, would that match the scene?"

"Yeah," he said after a moment. "Yeah, that could explain it. Unfortunately, that may be the extent of what we can determine. Rescue crews had to take the roof off to get the driver out, and the scene's been trampled to hell and back."

"Do what you can," Serena told him. "Call right away if you find anything. Cho, we should get back. The Lieutenant will want a report."

xxxxxxxxx

"That was...rather harsh," Jane commented, sounding more amused than upset.

"She has a point, Jane," Lisbon admitted. "You've had this problem with just about every supervisor you've ever worked with. You wander off randomly in the middle of cases, you don't follow the rules...Hightower almost fired _me_ over one of your stunts, if you recall, and Abbott was ready to lock you up when you ran off on that case in Brooklyn. Eames is taking this case personally - something you of all people ought to be able to understand - and she hasn't had a chance to get used to your methods. To her, it probably seems like you just don't care how this case turns out."

"You know that's not true, Lisbon," he objected.

"Yes. _I_ do. But I didn't always. Things were rocky for a bit there, until I got used to your style. I used to think those same things; I know you remember. Alex hasn't had time to get to know you that way, and she sure as hell doesn't have the time now. Just give her some space and try not to bait her, that's the last thing either of you needs right now."

xxxxxxxxx

"Alex."

"Colby." She turned in surprise. "I thought you were at the hospital."

"I was. Until Nikki told me to quit babysitting her and get my ass back to work - that's a direct quote, by the way. Don't worry, I left a guard on her and had a uni bring me here. After what's happened, no one's taking any stupid risks."

She smiled despite herself. "I take it, then, that she's doing okay."

"Yeah, she'll be fine. A few broken bones and a small skull fracture, but nothing that won't heal. I guarantee that within a few days, she'll be raging to leave the hospital and get back to work."

"She remember anything?"

He shook his head. "She's lost at least an hour. She couldn't even remember why she'd been in the car."

"That's a shame, if not entirely unexpected."

"Alex -" Colby began after a moment.

"What is it?"

"I overheard that argument you had earlier with Cho and Lisbon. What you said about getting a skilled consultant here in less than a day - was that just to make a point, or were you actually thinking of doing it?"

"It crossed my mind," she admitted. "Why?"

"Because you should," he said bluntly. "Not to replace Jane, but to add on. We need everyone we can get; it's what Don would do." He cringed. "I'm sorry. I'm not sure why I said that, it just kind of slipped out."

She laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. " _Is_ that what he would do?"

"At the very least." Colby smiled a bit sadly at the thought. "And I should know. To be blunt, Alex, by all rights I shouldn't be alive right now. The only reason I am is because Don Eppes decided to throw procedure out the window and come after me, despite the fact that he had every reason to doubt me and only my word to the contrary. I was literally moments from being killed when they showed up; if they'd stalled at all, it would've been too late."

She turned to him, and there was a hard determination on her face. "I'm not giving up on them. On any of them. Not until I know what's happened. If they're alive, I _will_ find them. That's a promise."

 **Yeah, I know Alex is being a little harsh on Jane here, but she doesn't seem like the type to tolerate his antics even on the best of days, and the stress she's under would only add to that. Hmm...I wonder what consultant she was thinking of bringing in!**

 **The episode where Lisbon gets in trouble over Jane is _Blood Money_ ; the episode where he runs off in Brooklyn is _Green Thumb._ Colby's talk about Don saving his life is from the Numb3rs episode _Trust Metric_ , and Charlie's reaction to Don's disappearance is based on his reactions to Don's injury in _The Fifth Man_ and Amita's abduction in _Angels and Devils_.**

 **Please review!**


	11. New Old Faces

**Thought Police**

 **Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, it's not mine. This story is on an AU track.

 **Chapter 11: New Old Faces  
**

"Lieutenant Eames? There's someone here looking for you. Front desk."

She turned, and then, for the first time in hours, a genuine smile crossed her face. "Bobby!"

"Plus one," he added, matching her smile as he held up the car seat he was carrying. "I told you I might have trouble finding a babysitter."

"That's no problem." She reached out her arms to take the baby from him. "She'll be fine here. Won't you, darling?" she cooed to the baby, who giggled in response, kicking her little legs into the air.

"So," Bobby asked, quickly growing serious, "what's the big emergency?"

"Our kidnappers have stepped up their tactics," she said grimly. "They grabbed a third agent in broad daylight. Didn't even bother trying to misdirect us this time. A junior agent was nearly killed in the process."

He nodded, absorbing the information in his customary silent way. "Where do you need me?"

"Zach's already working on a profile with a consultant from California. Well, and another consultant from Texas, when he deigns to assist with the investigation. See if you can help with that, okay? Oh, and just so you know, the consultant - the one who's actually working - the agent who was taken is his brother. He's trying to work through it, but he's pretty rattled."

"Understood."

xxxxxxxxx

Bobby was a man well-versed in languages, but it took even him a moment to realize that the curly-haired stranger was speaking English. Half the words that came out of his mouth Bobby barely recognized, and even the familiar words were being employed in unfamiliar ways.

He cleared his throat softly, causing Zach and the stranger to turn abruptly. The detective's face melted to a smile as he recognized the newcomer. "Bobby! Alex called you in on this too?"

He nodded. "She thought you might be able to use my help. I think she's at the point of pulling in anything she can think of."

"She's right," Zach replied. "This is not a time to turn down help. Charlie Eppes, meet Bobby Goren, a former Major Case detective with a knack for analyzing people."

"Nice to meet you." Bobby shook the smaller man's hand warmly. "You mind catching me up on what you're working on - preferably in English?" he added. "I stood there for a full minute and I still have no idea what you said."

Zach laughed. "Charlie's a mathematician, they have their own language. Don't worry, once he finds a conclusion he thinks we need to know, he'll explain. In _our_ language."

"In that case, carry on and I apologize for the interruption." Bobby turned to Zach as Charlie buried himself once again in the math. "Alex said you had another consultant working on this?"

"I'm starting to feel outnumbered," Zach joked, nodding. "Yes, we do. Sometimes, at least. Jane is, well, a little different. I don't know his whole history, but I've parsed out a few tidbits. He doesn't have any kind of law enforcement training. If I had to guess, I don't think he ever intended to end up doing this kind of work, though he's been doing it long enough that he's used to it. He knows on some level what the rules are, he's just decided which ones he does and doesn't follow and that's that."

"No wonder Alex is frustrated."

"Yeah, _that_ personality clash is a disaster waiting to happen. Best thing anyone can do is to keep them separated as much as possible."

"And wait for the explosion."

"Well...yeah, that too."

xxxxxxxxx

"She's beautiful," Lisbon commented, looking fondly at Sarah where she lay in Alex's arms. "How old?"

"Six months." Alex shifted the baby, allowing her to sit up a bit more.

"Really?" Lisbon asked, and then blushed. "I'm sorry, that was probably insensitive. She's just...smaller than I would have expected."

"It's okay. And yeah, she is small. She was a preemie; it'll be awhile before she catches up." She paused a moment. "Have you and Jane been considering..."

Lisbon blushed an even deeper red then. "Okay, what gave it away?"

"You keep resting your hands on your stomach," she said with a smile. "I used to do that constantly when I was pregnant. That plus the fact that while everyone else was guzzling their coffee, you not only didn't touch yours, you looked at it like it was about to attack you."

"It was!" she protested. "I thought I was about to throw up from the smell."

Alex grimaced in sympathy. "Oh, I remember those days well."

"Was it worth it?"

She smiled down at Sarah. "Worth it and a half."

"Do me one favor," Lisbon added after a moment. "No one else knows - except Patrick, of course. I understand if you want to keep me out of danger, but if you could at least be subtle about it..."

Alex smiled. "Consider it done."

xxxxxxxxx

Zach's phone rang loudly, startling him, Bobby, and Charlie out of the analysis that they had quite literally been working on all night. "You have to take that?" the mathematician queried.

The detective glanced down at his display and grimaced. "Yeah, I'm afraid I do. Keep working, I'll be back in a minute." He put the device to his ear. "Cecelia?"

" _Zach?_ " The familiar voice was fast with panic. " _Zach, thank god. I was afraid I wouldn't get you._ "

He drew a deep breath, forcing himself not to give in to the same panic he could clearly hear in her voice. "Celia, what is it? What's wrong?"

" _Oh, oh, it's not Andrea,_ " she said quickly, and he let out a breath of pure relief. " _She's fine, still at school. It's me. There's been an incident._ "

No longer feeling the surge of panic, Zach was just able to make out the sound of sirens in the background. " _Incident? What happened?_ "

" _Um, some kind of shooting, I think. I heard shots, anyway._ "

"My God. You weren't hit, were you?"

She gave what might have been a pained laugh. " _Not exactly. What happened was, well, we heard the shots, and then everyone started running, and I sort of ended up falling down some stairs_."

"Sort of," he repeated, feeling a desire to laugh despite the serious situation. The young woman's levity was contagious. "Are you all right?"

" _Broke my arm_ ," she replied matter-of-factly. " _I'll be fine, but I probably won't be able to pick up Andrea today. God only knows how long I'm going to be stuck in Emergency._ "

"Do what you need to," he replied immediately. "Take care of yourself. I'll worry about Andrea. Keep me posted."

"Who was that?" Bobby asked as Zach hung up the phone.

"My daughter's nanny," he replied. "Looks like I'll need to come up with some kind of alternate arrangement. But not now. What was it you were trying to show me?"

xxxxxxxxx

"Alex!" Zach called after the Lieutenant. "Do you have a minute?"

She glanced down at her watch. "One, literally. I'm on my way to the airport with Colby to pick up Don's family."

"I won't keep you," he assured her quickly. "I just...I need a really big favor."

She paused in the middle of putting on her coat, turning to him with a look of concern. Zach hardly ever asked for anything. "What is it?"

"I've got a massive childcare snafu," he said bluntly. "I've been trying to find an alternative but right now I'm out of options. Would it be okay if I brought Andrea here for a while until I can find someone to watch her? I've done it before, she won't be any trouble."

Her face softened as she looked at him. "Of course you can, Zach."

He started slightly, appearing surprised, if pleasantly so. "Really? That easy?"

She smiled kindly. "Zach, I'm a parent too. I understand that things sometimes happen that we can't plan for. And even more so for you, being a single parent. Sure, bring here here if you need to. _But_ ," she added firmly, "take Serena or someone with you when you go to pick her up. I can't trust that even personal errands are safe anymore."

He nodded. "Understood."

 **Of course I had to bring Bobby into the story as more than a sideline character. Is anyone surprised?**

 **Please review!**


	12. The Eppes Convergence

**Thought Police**

 **Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, it's not mine. This story is on an AU track.

 **Chapter 12: The Eppes Convergence  
**

Alex was quickly glad that she had thought to pick a member of Don's team for the airport run. Even if she'd had an idea of who she was looking for, she doubted she'd have been able to pick out any of the Eppes family in the chaos that was the Kennedy Airport arrival concourse.

Colby scanned the crowd, having the advantage of height as well as the ability to identify the people they were looking for. "I don't see them yet," he reported to the Lieutenant, who he could tell was quickly becoming frustrated with her limited visibility. "Don't worry, I'm keeping my eyes open."

She gave a dry laugh. "You know, normally I don't mind being small. I've certainly never let it stop me. But these are the situations that make me hope that my little girl takes after her father."

Colby laughed too, but stopped abruptly as something caught his attention. "I think - yeah, that's them. Mr Eppes!" he called out loudly, only to promptly be drowned out by dozens of other shouts.

Alex chuckled despite the seriousness of the situation. "I'm not sure that'll work. Everyone else seems to have the same idea, the result of which is likely to be that no one hears anyone."

"I think I figured that out," he laughed back. "You think I'd be used to it with how many times I've been through LAX, but I guess I'm a small-town boy at heart - hey!" he shouted, beginning to wave his arm in the air. "Over here! Okay," he said to Alex in a more normal tone, "she saw me. They're headed this way."

Three people emerged from the crowd, headed straight for Alex and Colby. The leader of the group - in fact, the only one of the three who seemed fully aware of her surroundings - was a black-haired woman who was very clearly pregnant. Following her were an older man with salt-and-pepper hair and a tall woman who looked as though she was lost and moving on autopilot.

Colby reached the man first, exchanging a quick hug with him. "Alan, I am so sorry." He stepped back, waving Alex over. "Alan Eppes, this is Lieutenant Alex Eames. She's heading up the task force working on Don's case. Alex, this is Alan Eppes, Don's father." He then indicated the tall woman. "Don's wife, Robin Brooks."

"We spoke on the phone." Alex extended her hand, but Robin appeared not to notice, so she drew it back.

"And this is Amita Ramanujan-Eppes," Colby continued, indicating the last member of the group. "Charlie's wife."

"I'm sorry," Alex said quickly, "we weren't expecting you."

Amita just shrugged. "It's okay. I'm here to work, not be coddled."

The blonde couldn't help but grin. "A woman after my own heart, then."

As the five of them proceeded towards the parking lot, Amita dropped back to talk to Colby. "If you're here," she asked in an undertone, "who's with Charlie? Please tell me you didn't leave him -"

"Unsupervised?" Colby finished.

She grimaced a little. "For lack of a better word, yes."

"Of course not," he assured her, "I know better. One of the detectives on the task force is with him. Apparently, he and Charlie knew each other before."

"I'm sorry," she sighed. "I probably sound like a mother hen, don't I?"

"Maybe a little," he said with a smile. "But I understand. We've both seen how he gets when someone he loves is threatened."

Amita swallowed hard, staring at the backs of Alan and Robin. "I just hope - " but she didn't have the words to finish the sentence.

"I know." He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "So do I."

xxxxxxxxx

Amita clambered out of the car as soon as the engine was turned off, but Robin, who had yet to speak a word, had to be guided out by Alan. Alex made a mental note to make time for a one-on-one meeting with her; Robin was clearly in bad shape.

 _Not that he's the only one who seems disconnected_ , Alex thought to herself when, upon emerging from the elevator, they nearly crashed into Wylie, who didn't even seem to notice. She quickly sought out Cho. "What's with him?"

"He just needs some air," the Austin team leader replied. "He's hitting walls, and it's getting him frustrated to the point where he's starting to lose focus. So I sent him to go clear his head."

"Fair enough. These people are serious about their Internet security, huh?"

"It certainly seems that way. For a minute there, Wylie looked like he wanted to throw the computer out the window. I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen him get that upset."

"Excuse me." That was Amita, standing right behind Alex. "Did I hear that right? You have a computer problem?"

"That's right," Cho replied without missing a beat. "We're trying to locate some information that someone really doesn't want us to have. Wylie's a computer expert, but even he's having difficulty."

"Maybe I can help," she offered. "I'm a bit of a computer expert myself - not to say that your guy can't handle it, but as they say, two heads are better than one."

"At this point, he'd probably welcome the help." Cho was nodding. "He should be back soon."

"Give me -" she paused to consider. "About half an hour to talk with Charlie. Then I'll join your guy and see if we can't figure this out."

xxxxxxxxx

Zach and Bobby glanced up when the door opened, but the mathematician was buried so deep in his work that he didn't even notice anything had changed until the woman in the doorway spoke softly. "Charlie."

His head shot up, and he blinked rapidly several times as if uncertain that what he was seeing was real. "Amita?" Then he all but sprinted across the room to embrace her.

Amita wrapped her arms tightly around his back, one hand rubbing gentle circles. "How are you holding up?"

"Better," he murmured, "now that you're here."

" _Charlie_ ," she chided gently. "Don't try that with me. I know you too well."

He swallowed hard. "It's my brother, Amita," he said after a moment. "He's always been the strong one. And now he's - he's gone. He was counting on me, and I couldn't figure it out in time, and now he's gone."

"Charlie." Zach stood, slowly approaching the couple. "This isn't your fault. We've all been putting everything we have into this case, and that includes you. No one blames you for not being able to accomplish the impossible."

A soft, choked sound escaped the mathematician's lips. "I do."

Amita hugged him even tighter. "I know, Charlie. You've always been hard on yourself. But I have confidence in you. You saved me when it seemed impossible; I know you can do this too."

xxxxxxxxx

"You're putting a lot of faith in Charlie," Zach said to Amita in an undertone. "I know he's good, but..."

"I know," she replied. "Believe me, I know. But as odd as it seems, it's what he needs right now. He's feeling guilty over a perceived failure, and that can mess with his head and make him start second-guessing himself and his work. By telling him that I believe in him, I'm helping him find that faith in himself." She sighed. "I know that if, God forbid, things don't work out, I'm going to have an even bigger issue on my hands. But as long as there's still hope, I have to put that aside and make sure Charlie doesn't end up self-sabotaging because of his personal doubts."

Zach began to nod now. "They're really close, aren't they? Charlie and Don? I don't think I realized until this happened just how close."

"Oh, they're close, all right. About as close as possible for two brothers who are so different and so much alike at the same time."

He raised an eyebrow slightly. "Really?"

An expression of curiosity crossed her face. "It surprises you that much?"

"No. Well, yes, in a way, I suppose. It's not about what I've seen here, though. I don't know if anyone mentioned it to you, but I knew Charlie, years ago."

"I think Colby said something about that."

"Well, in any case, back when I knew Charlie, he and Don were barely on speaking terms. Not unlike me and my own brother - or so I thought. Now I'm realizing how wrong I was."

"How's that?" she asked even more curiously.

"Because Don and Charlie love each other," Zach said bluntly after a moment. "And I'm certain now that that was the case even ten years ago. They may have been distant, but you can't tell me that Don wouldn't have gone to the ends of the earth for his brother all the same even then."

Amita shook her head, smiling. "You're right about that. Even before they were close, when I first saw the two of them interact, it was clear how much Don cared for Charlie, and vice-versa. You and your own brother don't...?"

"No, we don't. We barely speak at all. It's rooted in some of the same issues of resentment that have caused problems for Don and Charlie - in that sense, there is a similarity - but Don and Charlie have a brotherly bond that ultimately transcends that. My older brother and I can barely stand to be in the same room. The last time we tried to talk, he insulted my daughter, right in front of her. Made a nine-year-old girl cry just to get under my skin. That's when I told him I was done trying to have a civil relationship."

It was Amita's turn to raise her eyebrows. "Wow. Okay, yeah, no. Don and Charlie have had their share of shouting matches, but I can't imagine either of them ever stooping to that level."

"And on that note -" he glanced at his watch. "I have to go, or I'm going to be late picking her up. Serena's already waiting for me."

Amita only nodded. "And I'm sure Wylie's wondering where I've gotten to. Go ahead."

xxxxxxxxx

Andrea had fallen asleep in the car and only roused slightly when coaxed, so Zach simply gathered her into his arms. He'd gotten looks for carrying a child of her age in public, and one person had even verbally accused him of spoiling her, but he refused to let that bother him. He knew, even if they didn't, that it was really only in the past year that anyone had ever held or carried her. No amount of love and attention would be enough to make up for everything she'd been denied, let alone enough to damage her in any way.

Alex, walking the hall to calm her own daughter, smiled at him when he stepped out of the elevator. "Looks good on you."

He smiled back. "Same for you. Thanks for being flexible about this."

She laughed a little, adjusting the baby in her arms. "Well, I'd be one to talk, wouldn't I?"

"Fair point."

At that moment, Andrea shifted a bit on Zach's shoulder, lifting her head. "Dad?"

"Hey, sleepyhead. We're at my office now, remember?"

"'Course I r'member," she mumbled.

"Of course, what was I thinking?" He smiled fondly at his daughter. "You're still sleepy, huh? Want to take a nap?"

"Okay."

He looked back to Alex. "Give me two minutes, okay? Then I'll get back into the work."

"Of course." The Lieutenant followed him part of the way into the squad room before turning towards the desk where she had stashed Sarah's things while Zach continued towards the bunk room. As she was securing the baby into her car seat, someone tapped her on the shoulder, causing her to jump almost a foot in the air.

"Sorry, Lieutenant," the officer said softly, "but I didn't want to call out to you and risk waking the baby."

She smiled. "Much appreciated. How can I help you?"

"There's an FBI agent here looking for 'the person in charge of the Don Eppes case'. He's insistent on talking to you, wouldn't give me a message or even a name."

"Okay, I'm on my way." She finished fastening Sarah in and sighed. _As if I didn't have enough to deal with? Who is this person to just waltz into the squad room, anyway?_

 **Ooh, any guesses on who the mysterious stranger is?  
**

 **The chapter title is a play on Charlie's canonical mathematical breakthrough of the same name.**

 **Please review!**


	13. In the Hunt

**Thought Police**

 **Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, it's not mine. This story is on an AU track.

 **Chapter 13: In the Hunt  
**

"You wanted to talk to me?"

The man in the lobby fixed Alex with an intense stare. Actually, she noted after a moment, everything about him seemed to radiate that same intensity. His body, his posture, even the clothing that all but screamed 'rugged outdoorsman'.

"You're in charge of the case involving the abduction of Don Eppes and two other federal agents?" he said after a long moment.

"I'll tell you that," she replied coolly, "as soon as I know who you are and why you want that information."

He considered for a moment, then tossed back his head and laughed. "I think I like you." He extended a hand. "Agent Ian Edgerton."

"Edgerton," she repeated. "You're the fourth team member."

"That's right."

"So let me get this straight. You're fully aware that every other member of that team has been abducted, meaning you're likely to be the next target, and your first move is to head directly for the city where they're hunting?"

He laughed again. "Now I _know_ I like you. And as for your question, I'll admit it might be a bit...unorthodox."

"Reckless."

He continued as if she hadn't spoken. "But I'm sure Don's team will tell you, I'm the best in the country at finding people who don't want to be found. And right now, you seem like you could use someone who can do just that."

"I still say it's a bad idea." She sighed. "But I get the feeling that you're going to go looking for Don and the others no matter what I say. And if that's the case, I'd rather have the lines of communication open so I can make sure you don't run into trouble yourself. So...welcome aboard, Agent Edgerton."

"Thank you -" only then did he seem to realize he'd never gotten her name.

"Alex Eames. Lieutenant Alex Eames."

"Thank you, Lieutenant Eames."

xxxxxxxxx

Colby's eyebrows raised slightly when he saw the new arrival. "What's Ian doing here?"

"He just showed up and informed me he's working the case. I know," Alex said, holding up a hand to forestall the agent's protest, "I said the same thing, but he won't be deterred. And the last thing I want is him running around the city on his own. Which would undoubtedly happen if I didn't bring him in."

"That I can believe," he admitted. "'Stubborn' is far too weak a word to describe Ian. He once intentionally got himself put in prison and then broke away from the guards, all just to prove a point."

Alex laughed at the recollection. "Y'know, after meeting him...I can believe it. Did it work?"

"It worked all right. But the prison officials were furious. Even after he exposed a corrupt guard, they were still steaming. Somewhat understandable, I suppose. Ian _did_ throw the entire prison into chaos for several hours."

She raised an eyebrow. "Sounds to me like there might've been grounds to have him arrested for real."

Colby chuckled. "You know, so much crazy stuff happened that day that I don't think anyone actually thought of it. Lucky for Ian." He shrugged. "But honestly, I don't think anyone on our team would've done it, and we were the only ones with the authority. Given everything he'd done for the team, Don was willing to cut him a little slack - just that once, I'm sure, though thankfully we never had to find out."

"Great. So now I've got _two_ loose canons who have been allowed to get away with crazy stunts on my hands. That's really going to make my job easier."

Colby laughed, but shook his head. "I wouldn't worry too much about Ian. He has his own style, but when he's working with a team, he works _with_ them. He'll fall into the command structure just fine. And what's the big deal with Jane anyway? I mean, wandering off without telling anyone might be annoying, but it's not like he did something to jeopardize the case."

"Yet," Alex sighed. "What gets to me is the disdain he shows for the whole process. Like he's too good for it, but he's going to hang around anyway to help us poor plebes out. And," she admitted, "I did a little research. Wandering off is one thing, but that's on the mild end of the stunts he's pulled. He was known in Sacramento for bending the rules to suit his own ends - almost getting over a dozen cases tossed on technicalities over the years. He has literally gotten away with murder. The bottom line, I guess, is that I don't trust him not to do something that _will_ jeopardize the case. By coming down hard on seemingly innocuous things, I was hoping to convey to him that I won't tolerate that kind of behavior. Unfortunately, it hasn't worked. He's been allowed to get away with this behavior for so long that when I tell him to stop, he thinks _I'm_ the one with the problem. And I've got three lives hanging in the balance, I don't have time to play Patrick Jane's games."

Granger chose not to comment on the Lieutenant's rant. "Well, Ian might be...odd... but most of the time, he's not one for game-playing. The prison incident was a one-off situation that was way out of character; usually he'd be accused of being a little too forthright if anything."

"Now _that_ is one personality trait that I've never had a problem with. Actually, Don and I were just talking a few days ago about how refreshing it can be to have someone around who tells it -" She stopped abruptly. "God, it feels so surreal. Both him and Carolyn. They were just...there, and now they're not. I'm sorry," she said after a moment. "You're the last person I should be unloading all this on. I know you and Don are close."

He laid a gentle hand on her arm. "Don't worry about it, Alex. There isn't a person in this room who isn't affected in some way by this mess. If we can't talk freely to each other, who _can_ we talk to?"

She gave him a shaky smile. "Thanks, Colby. Oh, and that reminds me, have you seen Robin anywhere?"

"Robin? I heard her asking for directions to the locker room about twenty minutes ago. Why?"

"I just want to sit down with her for a few minutes. She doesn't seem to be handling the situation very well, and I think I should check in."

Colby gave an audible sigh. "That may not be a bad idea, but tread carefully. She was dealing with a lot even before Don disappeared; it's all kind of piling up on her right now. On both of them, really."

"I got that sense," Alex admitted. "Don never said it directly, but there was something in his expression every time he talked about his marriage...made me think all wasn't necessarily well. They've been having problems?"

"You could say that," he replied cautiously. "But...well, it's not really my story to tell, but suffice to say that I'd call their marital problems a symptom, not the cause. That said, I'm sure that the fact that this happened while she was fighting with him isn't helping her state of mind any."

"I can imagine. Don't worry," she assured him. "I'll be gentle."

xxxxxxxxx

Robin was sitting on a bench in the locker room when Alex walked in, staring into space much as she had done in the airport and for the entire car ride. The lieutenant sat down beside her, but the taller woman didn't even react.

"Ms. Brooks?"

Robin jumped, turning to face Alex. "Where did you - never mind. I probably wouldn't have noticed a heard of elephants crashing through." She tried to keep her tone light, but Alex could hear clearly that it was forced. "How can I help you?"

"Actually, I was going to ask you that question," she replied kindly. "You've seemed very lost ever since I met you at the airport. I wanted to know if there was anything I can do?"

"It's a nice offer." Robin tried in vain to smile. "But I don't think there's anything - the only thing that would make this better is getting my husband back. Do you have any idea what this is like?"

Alex hesitated a moment, but Robin's question had been a genuine one. "Actually, I think I do a little. About sixteen years ago, I lost my own husband in the line of duty. It's not exactly the same, but when he was in the hospital and we didn't know what was going to happen, I'm pretty sure I had the same look in my eyes that you do now."

Robin made a soft sound that might have been a choked sob. "Losing him isn't even the worst part."

"I know. It's the waiting, never being sure what the next moment might bring."

She shook her head. "No. I mean, yes, that's killing me, but _that's_ not even the worst part. The worst part is, the last time I spoke to Don, we were yelling at each other." Another stifled sob escaped her throat. "And it didn't even have to be this way! He's called me so many times since, asking for forgiveness, begging me to just talk to him, and I ignored him. I missed so many chances, and now I may not get another one." She rubbed roughly at her eyes. "God, I don't know how much more of this I can take. You don't know what I've been through already."

"Colby mentioned there was a lot going on for the two of you," Alex offered.

"Colby is a master of understatement, then. It's been hell for us." She buried her head in her arms. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to vent all this at you."

"It's okay," Alex assured her. "I said I'm here to help you. If you think talking about it will help, then talk to me."

"I - I didn't think it would," she said after a moment. "But as soon as I started talking, I just couldn't seem to stop."

Alex laid a tentative hand on the other woman's shoulder. "Tell me."

 **Next chapter, we finally get to the root of what is going on between Don and Robin.**

 **The chapter title is a play on Ian being a tracker (as well as a sniper, but his tracking skills are what the team will need).**

 **The mention of Jane literally getting away with murder is a reference to the episodes _Strawberries and Cream_ and _Red John_ , both of which involve Jane killing a man (in a situation other than self-defense/defense of others), only to be let off without punishment in subsequent episodes. It's one of those inconsistencies between the _Mentalist_ universe and the L &O universe that I felt like needed to be addressed, so I thought the best way to do it would be to acknowledge Jane's...unusual relationship with the law while making it clear how strange that would be for someone like Alex.**

 **Please review!**


	14. The Lost Future

**Thought Police**

 **Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, it's not mine. This story is on an AU track.

 **Chapter 14: The Lost Future**

"I guess," Robin began after a long moment, "that you could say that this whole sad story begins over a year ago. Don and I had been married for two years by that point, and we decided we were ready to think about having kids. We knew it was a bit of a long shot, we're both a little older than is ideal - but you know, things can happen, and we decided we were ready to let things happen, if you know what I mean. And we got lucky - or so I thought. I got pregnant within months of stopping my birth control." She swallowed hard, letting her head drop. "But we weren't lucky. I lost it a couple of weeks later."

"Robin, I'm sorry."

She waved off the Lieutenant's expression of sympathy. "Please, just...let me tell it, or I'll never get through it."

Alex nodded, and Robin continued. "I had two more miscarriages after that. When I got pregnant the fourth time, we were almost afraid to get our hopes up. But one month turned into two turned into three, and we finally dared to let ourselves hope that this one was going to be different. Once we'd cleared the three-month mark, we thought it would be okay to start, you know, telling people." She giggled despite the tears in her eyes. "Actually, I ended up making the announcement on the exact same night Amita was planning to make _hers_. I thought Alan was going to keel over, he was so happy." Then she doubled over suddenly, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. "I was twenty weeks along, halfway there, when I passed out one day in the middle of a hearing. I woke up in the hospital, only to be told that my water had broken and the baby was coming." Her shoulders hitched with a repressed sob. "I gave birth to my son that day, and an hour later we held him as he died. There was nothing anyone could do. He was too early to have any hope of survival."

Alex had to bite down on her lower lip not to react verbally to Robin's words. She remembered well the terror and anguish she had felt when her own baby had been born premature, and Sarah's odds had been good from the start.

"At first," the woman choked out, "Don and I were in it together. We supported each other. For those first few months after our baby died, we could barely be separated. But all that changed literally in a matter of minutes." She rubbed her eyes forcefully, trying with all her will not to cry. "It should've been a good night - our first real date since the tragedy. It was, at first. We were talking and laughing, finally starting to feel like ourselves again. But it all went wrong after we got home. We were, you know, getting into bed, and then Don said something about birth control. I said we didn't need to...that's what started the fight. He didn't want to chance me getting pregnant again. He said that he was afraid that another miscarriage would be too much for my body to take." Another barely-contained sob rippled through her body. "He was probably right, you know, but I just wasn't ready to give up on the idea of having a baby. I felt like it was _my_ body that had failed, my fault that we hadn't been able to... anyway, Don refused to take the risk. He said...he said he could live without a baby, but he didn't think he knew how to live without me. Such a sweet thing to say, but I - I just blew up at him, and what should've been a great night turned into a catastrophe. Don left that night. He didn't want to fight with me, and he seemed to realize it was inevitable if we stayed under the same roof."

She looked up at Alex finally, her watery eyes full of pain and regret. "That was about two weeks ago, and that was the last time I spoke to my husband. He called over and over to apologize, but I didn't want to talk to him. I was - I don't even know what exactly I was, for God's sake. I suppose it was mostly anger. Angry at him, angry at myself, angry at the world - but my husband got the brunt of all three, and so I never called him back. And the irony of it is, now I realize how right he was. He didn't want to face life without me - now _I'm_ the one facing life without _him_. And he was right. It's unbearable, especially so soon after losing my son too."

"Robin..." Alex began softly as the other woman's voice faded to silence. "Robin, I know there's nothing I can say to change what's happened. But I will say - I don't think you'll have to go through life without Don. I believe, with all my heart, that he and the others are alive and out there somewhere. And I intend to find them, whatever it takes."

"I - I appreciate that," she said after a long moment. "But even if you're right, I've probably lost him anyway. How many chances can I expect him to give me before he decides he's already given me too many?"

"He'll forgive you," Alex replied, softly but in a tone that made it clear how confident she was in her assertion. "I know he will."

"How? How can you be so sure?"

"Because he told me." Alex could now clearly see the subtext that had been woven through Don's half of the conversation that had ostensibly been about Mike and Carolyn. "Not in so many words, but it came through all the same."

Robin gave a pained sigh. "I only wish I could believe as strongly as you do that I'll get him back."

Alex took Robin's hand, squeezing it gently. "It's okay. I can believe for both of us."

Robin laughed softly despite herself, as much with relief as amusement. The Lieutenant's firm confidence was the first thing that had been able to truly penetrate her fog of despair and make her believe that there was still some measure of hope. But then a laugh caught in her throat, becoming a sob. The breakdown she'd been on the verge of for months refused to be held at bay any longer. Then she simply crumpled over, as if her body structure was no longer able to support its own weight.

Alex caught Robin before she could tumble from the bench and pulled her close, holding her in the same way she might hold one of her own nieces or nephews. "It's all right," she whispered. "Just let it out. You'll feel better if you do. It's all right."

xxxxxxxxx

"Excuse me," said a soft voice from the door. "Are you Agent Wylie?"

The blonde man's head shot up at the sound; he had been so absorbed in his work that he hadn't realized anyone was there. "Yes," he said a moment later, after he'd regained his bearings. "That's me. You must be the new computer expert."

She smiled, extending a hand to him. "Amita Ramanujan-Eppes. I'm here to help in any way I can."

"So, are you FBI, or..."

His tone made it clear that his question was borne of curiosity, not confrontation, and she replied accordingly. "Not officially. Though I might as well be, with all the work I do for them. No, I started off just helping Charlie out, but I became a full-fledged member of the team when they realized I was more into computers than he is - he _can_ do them, of course, but his thing is straight math, whereas I started trying to build computers in junior high."

The agent's eyes widened. "No way! That was me too!"

Amita laughed. "Well, then, between the two of us computer prodigies, we ought to be able to coax something out of this chaos. What do you say?"

He grinned. "I say let's get to work."

xxxxxxxxx

Alex got up as quietly as she could, leaving Robin to sleep on the locker room bench. It was far from an ideal bed, but Robin had been more than half-asleep by the time she'd stopped crying; trying to move her would probably be more trouble than it was worth. She took a moment to scribble out a note and tack it to the locker room door, instructing anyone coming in to keep quiet. Alex got the sense that, accommodations notwithstanding, this would probably be the best the other woman had slept in quite a while, and she didn't want to ruin that for her.

The squad room was bustling with activity when Alex reentered, a contrast to the somber quiet she had left behind in the locker room. Following Don's disappearance, he amount of tension and anxiety in the team had become so intense that many of them had spilled out into the bullpen to put an end to the arguments that had begun to erupt in the tight quarters of the conference room. Now only Wylie and Amita were working in there, both relieved to be free of the distractions caused by the frantic agents.

Alex poked her head into the conference room, noticing that Wylie looked calmer than he had when she'd last seen him. "Hey, guys. Any luck?"

"I think so," Amita replied, never taking her eyes off the screen. "No information yet, but we're making progress on the encryption. We've decoded two layers in the past hour. We'll let you know when we get to something."

"Good. Keep it up." She gently shut the door and turned, only to almost literally run into Alan, coming down the hall towards her.

Alan didn't notice the petite blonde until he was inches from crashing into her. He slammed to a stop, barely averting a collision. "Lieutenant. I'm sorry."

"That's all right. You looking for something?"

He shook his head slowly. "Just some answers. I've been pacing this hall for God only knows how long and I still haven't made any progress." He sighed audibly. "If only I could be _doing_ something. But there's not much use for an urban planner on this one."

Despite the severity of the situation, Alex had to stifle a laugh. "On _this_ one? Is there anyone in your family who _doesn't_ work for the FBI?"

The comment had the desired effect, and Alan chuckled too, relaxing a fraction. "Once Charlie started, my fate was sealed. It was barely six months after their first case together that he went digging for my old city planning maps. After that...it was only a matter of time."

xxxxxxxxx

"You weren't kidding," Wylie commented to the woman working beside him. "You really are a pro at all this."

"You're no slouch yourself," she countered. "I wouldn't have been able to make nearly as much progress without your help and all the insight you've gained over the past few days."

He blushed a bit at the praise. "Most of my colleagues barely understand what I'm doing. They appreciate it, I'll give them that, but they don't really understand."

"I know what you mean," Amita replied. "It's a running joke with the team that when we start to explain things, they just nod and wait for the punchline. It's not like I blame them," she added. "I know that we're usually using words they've never heard. It's just...it's nice to work with an agent who actually understands."

"What kinds of cases are we talking about?" Wylie asked interestedly. "Just straight decrypting, or...?"

"I wish," she said with a laugh. "I've probably faced more dangerous situations than some cops."

"Really? Like what?"

She considered a moment. "Well, there was the time I was kidnapped by a psychopath who wanted me to hack into a major national bank, and picked me because he wanted a showdown with the FBI."

"You're kidding."

"Dead serious. Thankfully, he underestimated me. I used the hack to slip a message out to Charlie right under his nose."

"How'd you do that?"

"I hacked his credit card," she admitted sheepishly. "Encoded a message into some phony charges I planted in his account."

Wylie laughed. "I'll have to remember that if I'm ever kidnapped by a manic who wants me to hack something."

"Believe me," she admitted after a moment, "it wasn't quite that simple. It was probably the most terrifying experience of my life, and I've had people try to kill me on two separate occasions."

"For your work?" Wylie said incredulously.

"Well...sort of. One time, it was to stop me from finding out that a so-called AI was actually an elaborate fraud. The other...well, that one wasn't targeted at _me_ , specifically. There was a case where the motive seemed to be related to an ARG – an alternate reality game – and I was helping the FBI track a suspect by playing through it myself. We didn't realize just how dangerous this guy was until he used supposed game clues to lure us a dam spillway right when the overflow was due to release. We heard the alarm, and Charlie and I just barely managed to scramble back up the ladder in time." She shuddered involuntarily, remembering the horror of that morning. "Colby wasn't so lucky. He was caught up in the flood and almost drowned before Charlie was able to get him out."

Wylie's eyes were huge. "Wait, was this the _Primacy_ murder? You were involved in that?"

"You've heard of it?" she replied, surprised.

He nodded. "I was in college at the time, looking into the FBI because they were trying to recruit me. That case just happened to stick because I'm pretty into video games myself. How did you end up getting involved with that?"

She shrugged. "Kinda backed into it, really. Originally, Charlie and I were just called in to figure the angles – you know, guy fell off the roof, needed to rule out a suicide, basic stuff. But since I knew the game, I ended up getting way more involved than I ever planned to be."

"You play _Primacy_."

"Yeah, sure." She noticed that his expression had changed. "Why? What's up?"

"Nothing," he said quickly, and then blushed. "It's just...the way you talk about the game, you remind me a lot of someone."

"A very particular _someone_ , I surmise, given the way you're dancing around the topic."

"I just...I don't want you to get the wrong idea. But yes, you're right."

"Who was she?"

He ducked his head slightly, not wanting her to see the emotions that flashed across his face. "Her name was Michelle."

"And you were close?" she prompted.

"Yes. Well...sort of." He paused for a moment to try and shape his thoughts into a coherent explanation. "We were friends. Maybe a little more. I did ask her out once."

"And she said no?"

"Uh, no. That's not...she said yes." He swallowed hard, the memories still raw. "The same day that – well, she was FBI too. I guess I should've realized that nothing is guaranteed in a job like this. But some people just...don't seem like they can be hurt."

It was clear to Amita now what the young man couldn't bring himself to say. "I'm sorry. How long...?"

"About six months."

"I'm sorry," she said again.

"No. No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up. Where were we?"

Amita watched him a moment longer, then nodded slowly, understanding what Wylie was really trying to say. "I think it was this sequence here..."

xxxxxxxxx

Alex all but slammed to a halt when she saw the familiar figure standing in the door. "Mike! What are you doing here?"

"I –" he hesitated a moment. "Honestly, I wish I knew. I'd say I came here looking for information on the case, but I know well enough to know that you can't give me anything. Maybe my less rational side forgot for a second. I can't stand this not knowing." He sighed softly. "You know, if I were still a cop, I'd hate me right now. Popping into the squad room in the middle of the investigation...people like that used to drive me insane. But now that the shoe's on the other foot..."

"Don't be too hard on yourself," she replied kindly. "You're far from the only cop to turn into a bit of a hypocrite when you find yourself personally involved."

He let out something that sounded like a mix between a laugh and a sob. "Thanks, Alex. I think."

She stepped forward and gave him a gentle hug. "Don't worry about it, Mike. I know you're having a hard time right now. Look," she added, lowering her voice, "don't tell anyone I put it quite this way, but I've already got two civilian family members pacing the halls around here. I think I can handle a third, if you think that staying for a while would help."

"Really? You'd do that for me?"

"Of course. Just stay out from underfoot, don't interrogate anyone... you know the basics."

"Yeah, I know the basics. And...thanks."

xxxxxxxxx

Charlie let out an audible gasp, letting the marker fall from his suddenly limp fingers. "I need...someone go find Amita. Now."

Zach looked up sharply when he heard the tone in his friend's voice. Bobby Goren, engrossed in a surveillance tape, missed the mathematician's outburst, but his attention was drawn a moment later by Zach's reaction. "Sorry, what was that?"

"Amita," he repeated. "I need Amita."

"She's in the computer room, right?" Bobby asked. "I'm on it."

"What is it, Charlie?" Zach pressed as the other man hurried out of the room. "You find something?"

"I...maybe." Charlie was still staring at the numbers. "But...I can't be sure. You see...early in my work for the FBI, I met a man who had dedicated years of his life to a single problem, and after all that time, he finally thought he had the solution in his hands. But when I looked it over, it turned out there was a critical error right in the middle of his calculations. Everything from that point on was meaningless."

"And now you're worried _you_ may have made a critical error."

He nodded forcefully. "Believe me, it's not something I like to consider. But Ethan Burdick made a mistake when he had all the time in the world and the only thing at stake was prestige. How arrogant would I have to be to think I couldn't make a similar mistake when the clock is ticking and the stakes are so much higher? And to not just think it but gamble my brother's life on it? No. I have to be sure."

"Have to be sure of what?"

The sound of his wife's voice was the only thing that could possibly have dragged even a little of Charlie's attention away from the numbers. "That I'm following a valid line of reasoning this whole way through." He turned pleading eyes on Amita. "I know you're already busy. But you're the only person in this building who can independently verify my work."

"It's all right. Wylie's a quick study, he's picked up on some of the techniques I was using. He should be able to keep making progress without me. But this is going to take some time, Charlie. At least half an hour, and that's on the optimistic side. And you looking over my shoulder is only going to slow me down."

"But –"

"She's right, Charlie," Zach interrupted. "How is she going to be able to work through this freely if she knows you might question anything she says or does? Besides, you've been at this for over thirty hours straight – counting from the time you first started work yesterday," he explained before the mathematician could try and contest the number. "You should get some food and maybe a little sleep."

"Sleep? I can't _sleep_ through this."

"Come on, Charlie." Zach almost literally pulled him from the room. "I'm not talking about a full night's sleep. I'd wager none of us are getting _that_ until we break this case. I'm talking about a quick nap. Half an hour, maybe forty-five minutes. Just until Amita's done."

"What's that now?" said a new voice.

Zach hadn't seen the man in close to a decade, but it took him only a few seconds to recognize him. "Mr. Eppes. I was trying to convince your son to get some rest."

"Have we met?" Alan Eppes studied him for a moment. "Wait...we have, haven't we? I'm sorry, I can't seem to remember."

Zach nodded. "Not surprising. It was along time ago, and I know you've got a lot on your mind just now." _Oh, do I ever know._ "Listen, I was going to try and grab Charlie something to eat, and then take him up to our crash room for a bit. But maybe you ought to do it instead. He'll be more likely to listen to you."

Alan seemed surprised, but nodded. "Okay, where am I going?"

"Vending machines are down that hallway. It's not much of a meal, but right now, the important thing is just to get something in his system. Then the bunk room is just up those stairs. If you get lost, just find somebody who looks like they work here or ask the front desk. I will make sure someone comes and gets you as soon as Amita has an answer."

"Right."

By now, Charlie's stubbornness had faded, and Alan only had to steer him down the hall. As they left, Zach became aware of someone else watching him. "Alex! I didn't see you there."

"Sorry. I was just making the rounds and heard voices. What was that all about? You seemed to have Charlie under control."

"I did," he admitted. "But Mr. Eppes Senior looked like he was ready to climb the walls. I figure he hasn't had much to do except wait for news and watch the clock, so I thought giving him a task might be some small help."

She smiled. "Of course. Pages out of the psych textbook again, right?"

He smiled back, but he knew it probably looked as forced as it felt. "Something like that."

"Not to borrow your act," she added gently after a moment, "but you look like you could use some sleep yourself."

"I probably could," he admitted. "But I can hang in there for a while longer. Unlike Charlie, I did grab a couple of hours last night. And I think it's best if I stay awake for now."

"Zach, the investigation..."

"That's...not what I meant. I know the investigation can manage without me. It's my daughter I'm worried about. Andrea's...incredibly shy." Actually, that was an understatement, but talking about it in any greater detail was almost physically painful. "She could very easily end up overwhelmed by all the new faces. I need to make sure she can find me if she needs me."

"Still no luck on a caretaker, then?"

"Afraid not. It seems I've hit upon some incredible confluence of bad luck. It's not like I don't have a contingency plan, after all. But today...Serena's out for obvious reasons, Megan's own daughter is sick, Mom's out of town, and Dad's out of the _country._ With Cecelia, my nanny, in the hospital, that's my entire network unavailable." He sighed. "At least Mom's back tomorrow, so there's an end in sight. Don't get me wrong," he added, "I love taking care of my daughter. Just...anywhere but here. 1PP is hardly much of a playground, and when I'm working, I can't give her the attention she deserves."

"I know how you feel," Alex said softly. "I was relieved when my sister came by to take Sarah. It's not easy to split your attention like that. You either end up neglecting your work or feeling like you're neglecting the kid."

"Even if you're not," Zach added softly. "Because you want nothing more than to give them everything."

"Exactly." She reached out and gently squeezed his arm. "Tell you what. If you're not going to go and sleep, how about you take that same twenty-minute break and spend a little time with your daughter? Same thing you told Charlie, I promise. I'll make sure someone comes and finds you as soon as the results are in."

He was starting to smile now, a real smile, if tired. "I think I'll do that. And...thanks."

 ** **Okay...wow. I am terribly sorry this took so long, especially with that minor cliffhanger. For some reason, my inspiration on this story decided to come to a virtual halt for a couple of months, and the block only just let up.  
****

 ** **The chapter title is based on a quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald: "Suddenly she realized that what she was regretting was not the lost past but the lost future, not what had not been but what would never be." It's not completely relevant to the bits with Charlie, but it seemed to work so well for everything else: Robin's lost baby, Wylie's grief over the relationship he never had with Vega, various characters' reactions to the potential loss of their loved ones, and (though rather subtle) Zach's feelings about Andrea's trauma and the fact that she'll never be the same.****

 ** **This story references the**** ** **Mentalist e**** ** **pisode**** ** _ **Nothing Gold Can Stay**_** ** **and the Numb3rs episodes**** ** _ **Angels and Devils, First Law, Primacy,**_** ** **and**** ** _ **Prime Suspect.**_**

 ** **Please Review!****


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